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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28637985">Remember Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/markjinist777/pseuds/markjinist777'>markjinist777</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>GOT7, K-pop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Heavy Angst, M/M, Medical, Misunderstandings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:14:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,523</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28637985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/markjinist777/pseuds/markjinist777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark had found his 'forever' at the age of 12. Jinyoung had found his 'forever' at the age of 11. Each other of course.<br/>But why is Mark suddenly being so distant? Who is the 'one' he found in LA, that he started forgetting his childhood love?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Park Jinyoung/Mark Tuan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The scripts in Italic are flashbacks.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>That eleven year old kid was standing in the corner, eyes filled with tears, looking at the shouting match between his parents. Insults were being hurled from both sides, some so big and grave that his innocent mind didn't even know their meanings. All he could understand right then was that the daily little arguments between his parents had exploded into something big this time. His father, in his sheer anger, picked up a crystal vase from the center table and threw it on the floor. The kid clasped his hands to his face to suppress his shriek. His father stormed out of the house, while his mother sat crying on the couch. The kid took small steps hesitantly towards his mother and placed his hand on his mother's shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"Mommy." His voice was shaky and filled with tears.<br/>
<br/>
His mother suddenly stopped crying and looked at him. There was something in her eyes that the 11-year old couldn't comprehend. She shoved him away with so much force that the kid fell to the floor on his back.<br/>
<br/>
"Marrying your father was a big mistake, but having you was the biggest."<br/>
<br/>
At that time, poor kid was hurt by the shove only, had he understood the words too, breathing would have become difficult for him.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Two weeks later he heard that his parents were getting a divorce.<br/>
<br/>
"Nanny, what is a divorce?" Innocent childhood...<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His nanny looked at him intently for a few seconds. She wanted to say something that would hurt the boy less. She was the one who had brought him up since the day he was born. His parents did not, but she did love him. A lot.<br/>
<br/>
"Ahmmm... it's like...your daddy and mommy will live separately from now on."<br/>
<br/>
"Forever?"<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hmmmm. Forever."<br/>
<br/>
"Then where will I go?"<br/>
<br/>
This was the question which his nanny didn't have an answer to. She wiped her tears and helped the kid into his school blazer.<br/>
<br/>
"You are getting late for school Jinyoung-ah. Hurry up, driver is waiting for you."<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
But they didn't have to wait a lot for the answer. His father called him to his room few days later, and made him sit on his lap. His uncle, his father Park Jaehyun's younger brother Park Minho, was also present there. His expressions were an evidence of some heated conversation between the two brothers. But at that time, Jinyoung was only stunned by his father's gesture. It had been years, literally years, since he had made him sit so close to himself.<br/>
<br/>
"Jinyoung, you are a big kid now. I hope you will understand my situation. I am moving to Canada in a few days, and I can't take you with me yet. I'll be starting from zero there. I have no idea at all about how the things will go. And your mother...well, she isn't ready to keep you too. So you have two options. Either you go to boarding or....." Jaehyun looked at his younger brother. "Or you go with your uncle."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jinyoung didn't understand any of his rant except the fact that both his parents didn't want to keep him. The fact stabbed his heart like shards of glass. He was hurt. Beyond words. With glossy eyes he looked at his uncle, who was looking at him with hopeful, encouraging eyes. Minho got up from his seat and sat on his knees in front of Jinyoung.<br/>
<br/>
"Come with me Jinyoung-ah. I will always protect you. And love you." He was caressing his hair gently. It took just a second, before Jinyoung got up from his father's lap and hugged his uncle quietly, who returned the hug by encompassing the little child in his big, warm arms.<br/>
<br/>
Looked like, after 11 years Jinyoung was finally going to have a home and a family. His home. His family.</em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
From the glass window of his room, he saw the car stopping in their porch and the man coming out of it. Jinyoung never wanted to see him. But 'it' wasn't his fault. 'It' wasn't Jinyoung's fault either. Then whose fault was 'it'? A reflection popped up in front of his eyes, and he felt that the whole darkness of the night had seeped into his being.<br/>
<br/>
He sighed at the knock on his door.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Jinyoung honey, Jackson is here."<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung clicked his tongue in irritation. He wanted to cancel the plan, but that didn't look possible anymore.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Coming mom."<br/>
<br/>
He looked at the full body mirror in his room. Plain black tee-shirt, blue jeans, messily made hair. From nowhere he looked 'date-with-fiancé' kinda ready, but to-be-honest he least cared.<br/>
<br/>
Jackson was as upbeat and excited as ever. He shouted a big "Park Gae" before engulfing him in a big hug and pecked him on the lips. From the corner of his eyes, Jinyoung could see his mother's disapproval of his getup but decided to ignore it. As usual.<br/>
<br/>
Bidding goodbye to Mrs. Park, they headed outside.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"You look handsome." Jackson said with a soft smile. With a single glance at Jackson, anyone could tell that he was a goner for Jinyoung.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>A stiff ‘thanks’ from Jinyoung, made his smile falter a bit. But he regained it soon. He had just come to terms with Jinyoung's mood swings. In fact he even started liking that. Don't judge him please, he was just in love.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>------------------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
I miss those blue eyes<br/>
How you kissed me at night<br/>
I miss the way we sleep<br/>
Like there's no sunrise<br/>
Like the taste of your smile<br/>
I miss the way we breathe</p><p> </p><p>But I never told you<br/>
What I should have said<br/>
No I never told you<br/>
I just held it in</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was another beautiful evening in Sydney's Blues Point Resort. Families, couples, office-returners were lost in the reflection of lights in the blue waters. It was such a soothing view.</p><p>Indifferent to his surroundings, he was sitting on a rock, singing Colbie Caillat's I Never Told You, on his guitar. The "MT93" written in red, block letters across the black body of the guitar used to make passersby <em>stop</em>, but it was his voice that made them <em>stay</em>. There was so much pain in his voice that one couldn't help but listen. Even the black goggles on his eyes couldn't hide the tears that betrayed his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>And now I miss everything about you<br/>
I can't believe I still want you<br/>
After all the things we've been through<br/>
I miss everything about you<br/>
Without you</p><p>I see your blue eyes<br/>
Every time I close mine<br/>
You make it hard to see<br/>
Where I belong to when I'm not around you<br/>
It's like I'm not with me</p><p> </p><p>His song ended. Spectators clapped. Some hooted. Some had teary eyes. The usual scenes that Mark had been witnessing for years now. He sighed, wore the guitar belt over his shoulder and headed away. It was going to be another long night of longing and heart crushing memories.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>-----------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>Park Minho and his wife, Marine, had welcomed Jinyoung with an open heart. They had been married for 7 years now and still had no kid. They were planning on adopting one anyway, and there was no one better than Jinyoung, for them. He was a quiet, timid boy, who took weeks to accommodate in their household, but finally he did. He had started calling Minho and Marine as dad and mom. He had started sharing his little school stories with them on the dining table. He had started kissing them good-mornings and good-nights. Life was finally coming on track.</em>
  <em><br/>
</em>
</p><p>-----------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"You didn't want to come for the dinner tonight, right?" Jinyoung's coldness had finally pushed Jackson to the edge. He was visible irritated.<br/>
<br/>
"Right."<br/>
<br/>
Jackson stilled in his seat. Scrolling idly on his phone, Jinyoung had missed the hurt in Jackson's eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Then you shouldn't be here at all. Get up, I'll drop you home." Jackson said icily, motioning for the waiter to bring the bill.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry." Anybody could see that the apology was just a formality. Jinyoung didn't mean it, really.<br/>
<br/>
"Jinyoung...what do you want, Jinyoungie?" This time there was resignation in Jackson's voice. He was like that. Always forgiving. Always understanding.<br/>
<br/>
"I have eaten, Seunie. And I guess you too. Let's order dessert now. I want chocolate mousse cake..." Looking through the menu card, he was saying so nonchalantly that Jackson was left bewildered.<br/>
<br/>
What was he??? Fire or water? Sun or moon? Jackson couldn't understand. Jinyoung was his love. But today, for the first time, he felt like a mistake.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>It was Jinyoung’s third month with his new family. He was doing his homework in the lounge. Marine was sitting near him, busy with her office work. He was stuck on a math's problem and was just about to turn to Marine for help, when he heard a voice from across the main door.<br/>
<br/>
"knock, knock."<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung heard Marine's laughter.<br/>
<br/>
"He is back." She said shaking her head. She set her laptop aside and crossed her legs. As if she was about to watch some movie.<br/>
<br/>
"Who's there?" Marine said in a sing-song voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Spell." Jinyoung could sense that whoever it was on the other side of the door was smiling.<br/>
<br/>
"Spell who?" Marine kept playing along.<br/>
<br/>
"W.H.O."<br/>
<br/>
Marine burst out laughing.<br/>
<br/>
"That's an old one, Mark. Come in. The door is unlocked."<br/>
<br/>
Just then the door burst open and in came the most eccentric boy Jinyoung had ever seen. He was about Jinyoung's age, may be a little taller than him, wearing a blue tank top with blue shorts. But the most eccentric thing about him was his hair. They were royal blue in color, and standing so erect on his head as if someone had given him an electric shock.<br/>
<br/>
He was hugging Marine tightly speaking in loud, animated voice.<br/>
<br/>
"I missed you so much, imo (maternal aunt). And judging from your dark circles, you have missed me equally. Right?"<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung looked at Marine. ‘Dark’ was a faraway thing, she didn't even have ‘light circles’. She was smiling at the boy lovingly, because for speaking you obviously need the person in front to shut up, and this boy had absolutely no plan of doing it anytime soon.<br/>
<br/>
"Imo, look at my new hairdo. It's cool, isn't it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it's really cool. I'm planning on copying it right away." Marine said laughing. And the boy was looking like; he was just announced as the winner of noble prize. It was then, that the boy noticed Jinyoung.<br/>
<br/>
"Who is this, imo?" His eyes were curious.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, this is Jinyoung. He is your uncle Minho's nephew, but now he will stay with us. We have adopted him. And Jinyoung, this is Mark. My sister's son. They were on a vacation in the States, that's why you haven't met them yet. They live next door, in fact. Remember that door, in the wall of the garden, you were so curious about??? That door opens to their lawn. We have made an inside entrance between the two houses, and that's why this brat is kinda found here 24/7." There was so much adoration in her eyes for Mark.<br/>
<br/>
Mark looked at Jinyoung, as if he was a detective and Jinyoung was some crime scene.<br/>
<br/>
"So Ji-nyeong, what are your new knock knock jokes?"<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung looked back solemnly.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"First, it's Jin-young. Second, I don't do lame stuff."<br/>
<br/>
Mark scrunched his nose.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Too boring. I'll pass. I ain't being friends with him."<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung who had stood up with his books clutched against his chest, looked in his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Like anyone is interested. Weirdos aren't my style." He said and headed to his room.<br/>
<br/>
"Wh...wh...WHATTT??? Imooooo...he just called me a weirdo..." </em>
</p><p><em>This was the first meeting of an 11 years old Jinyoung with a 12 years old Mark.</em><br/>
<br/>
------------------<br/>
<br/>
There was the usual hubbub on the George Street. Mark came here every day after office. Walking aimlessly in the throng of people...like a lost soul...<br/>
<br/>
He was <em>like a blind</em>, but wasn't <em>blind</em>.<br/>
He <em>wanted to</em> forget, but <em>hadn't</em> forgotten.<br/>
It wasn't possible. Forgetting wasn't possible. What he had left behind was <em>heart</em>, and what he had brought along was <em>brain</em>. The brain did not let him forget.<br/>
<br/>
His cellphone ringing, brought him back to present.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>It was his mom. He sighed. It was not going to go good.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey mom. How are you doing ?" He tried to feign brightness in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Mark, honey...I'm…I'm not okay. I'm not okay at all. I miss you so much. It has been years since I saw you. Don't do this to me, don't do this to us please. Come back please."<br/>
<br/>
"Mom." Mark shut his eyes. Everyone was going through so much pain because of him.<br/>
<br/>
"Mark.."<br/>
<br/>
"I cannot see him with anyone else, ma. I would... I would...Just the thought that he is someone else's now, breaks my heart in so many pieces every single day. How am I gonna see this with my own eyes? I would die..." He was sitting on the footpath, with phone clutched in one hand, crying miserably, hiccupping violently. People were watching him, some pitying, some worrying. But he didn't care.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"I miss him so much, ma. His voice, his laughter, his eye-wrinkles, his fragrance, his touch, his piano.....I miss it so much. Why can't I have him???? Why did the universe make me love him, if I couldn't have him? Why is life so unfair?" He was sobbing like a kid. He was hurt. He was so badly hurt.<br/>
<br/>
He knew his mother was also crying on the other side of the line. He wanted to say something to pacify her. But he couldn't think of anything. Like the infinite calls before, this call too ended without goodbyes.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>-----------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Dad, I want to go to Canada." Mixing his cereal, Jinyoung looked at his parents.<br/>
<br/>
"You are running away?" Minho looked him in the eyes. He and Marine had not given birth to him, but they had loved him all these years like their own son. His pain hurt them as much as it did to him.<br/>
<br/>
"No dad. It’s just…I will handle the business there. You are here to look after everything. The manager mailed me yesterday too, that there were some irregularities in the accounts. So I was thinking..."<br/>
<br/>
"He is not there, Jinyoung." Park Minho deadpanned.<br/>
<br/>
"I have forgotten everything." He took a sip from his coffee. It was bitter, just like his life.<br/>
<br/>
"And what about your wedding? Have you also forgotten that poor guy whom you have tied with you for months now. Yesterday, Mr Wang called again. What am I supposed to tell him, Jinyoung, that why are we delaying the wedding again and again? Nobody forced you for anything. You chose Jackson on your own free will. It’s been years, can't you just fucking forget that cheater now? He is as good as dead for us." Minho didn't want to be so bitter, but it was too much for him. Sometimes you have to be a little strict to get your message across. Jinyoung was his most precious treasure, and the boy was slowly killing himself. He couldn't let that happen. He had to save his son, at all costs.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>----------------------<br/>
<br/>
<em>"Hey Ji-nyeong." Oh yes, he perfectly knew his mispronunciation of his name, annoyed Jinyoung, and that's exactly the reason he mispronounced it all the time. This was his plan of vengeance for being called a weirdo. Silly childhood beefs, you know.<br/>
<br/>
No response. Apparently, this was Jinyoung's new weapon. Ignoring Mark, completely. Because if he started paying any attention to him, he would run out of brains in no time.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you doing?" Sitting on the swing, Mark tried again. Jinyoung was tending to his new lilies' plant that Minho had bought for him last week.<br/>
<br/>
Still no response.<br/>
<br/>
Mark eyed the plant. He suddenly hated it. Why was it getting Jinyoung's attention when Mark could not?<br/>
<br/>
"Are you ignoring me, Park Jinyoung?"<br/>
<br/>
"..."<br/>
<br/>
Mark had had enough. He got up from the swing, sat on the ground beside Jinyoung, grabbed the plant near its root, and gave a hard jerk to his wrist. The plant came into his hands, in such a way that its roots were still in the mud. The poor plant had its stem snapped in half. Sigh.<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung crossed the stages of disbelief, hurt, and finally anger in mere seconds. Jaw clenched, he turned around and hit Mark right in the face with his clenched fist. But then the sudden stream of blood running down Mark's face alarmed him. God. Run Jinyoung.<br/>
<br/>
Unfortunately it was a little too late, cause Mark had already grabbed him from his shirt, resulting in him falling on the ground face first. Within seconds, Park residence's lawn looked like a WWE ring, where both the contestants were not ready to let the other breathe another breath again.<br/>
<br/>
Hearing the shrieks, Marine came running out. Minho's car had also stopped in the driveway, right at that minute. It took both bewildered elders several minutes to disentangle the two boys. Mark was bleeding badly, Jinyoung had a bruise under his left eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Marine, take Jinyoung inside. Mark needs to see the doctor, I'm taking him."<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em></p><p>
  <em>"Jinyoung, apologize to Mark." From the hospital, Minho took Mark to his house. Marine and Jinyoung were also called from the neighbors. At the moment, everyone was present in the lounge.<br/>
<br/>
Dorine at first shrieked seeing bandages all over her son's face, but when she heard the whole story, she wanted to hit her head in some wall. Her youngest born was a maniac.<br/>
<br/>
Since Mark was hurt more bad, Minho asked Jinyoung to apologize first.<br/>
<br/>
"Dad, he started it first..." Jinyoung looked around. Mark's dad, mom, his elder sisters (Grace and Tammy) were all present there. He felt ashamed in front of so many almost-unknown people, and that too when the culprit had this smug grin on his face. His eyes watered at this injustice.<br/>
<br/>
"It's okay, Minho. They are kids. And they are bound to have these petty fights." Raymond tried to calm Minho. He knew his son's antics too well. Mark had always been a trouble-maker. He was sure as hell that this time too it was Mark's fault.<br/>
<br/>
"No Raymond, they both are at fault. And they both will apologize to each other." Then he looked at the boys with a stern look. "If you don't, I will ground both of you for a week. No piano for Jinyoung, and no tennis for Mark."<br/>
<br/>
Now that had both the boys on panic. They looked at each other and said a joint "sorry" without meaning it of course. Minho even made them shake hands.<br/>
<br/>
God....MarkJin....they were too much to handle together.<br/>
</em>
</p><p><br/>
---------------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung had been thinking about Minho's morning lecture all day. His dad was right. Why had he tied up someone as innocent as Jackson with him? He had never loved him. He went into this relationship, even as far as engagement, because he wanted to forget his past. But he failed miserably. This three year old relationship did nothing to help him forget anything. It only made him suffocated and guilty. And maybe it was time to let this go. He picked up his phone and called Jackson.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh my god, is it Christmas today? Wait, let me check if the sun has risen from the west today. Oh no, can't do that, it's already past sunset..."<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung laughed softly. This guy was too much.<br/>
<br/>
"No like seriously, Jinyoungie, do you even remember when was the last time you were the first to call after an argument. It had always been me. Jaebeom hyung says I'm too whipped for you and I guess he is right. So....where are we meeting for the makeup sex?" Jackson asked playfully.<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung bit his lip. It was going to be difficult. His own heart was broken, he should have been the last person to break others'. But here he was, doing exactly that. But he had no control over his emotions. His heart had opened for just one person. And it seemed like it was going to close with that person too.<br/>
<br/>
"Actually Jackson, I was thinking if we could eat together tonight. At your favorite restaurant. At 8?"<br/>
<br/>
"Your wish is my command, sir. I'll be right on time."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay."<br/>
<br/>
"And Jinyoungie?"<br/>
<br/>
"Hmmm?"<br/>
<br/>
"I love you. I love you so much."<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung's eyes burned at the corners. He couldn't say what Jackson wanted to hear. Not even as a lie.<br/>
<br/>
"I know Seunah. See you."<br/>
<br/>
ðŸ’šðŸ�°ðŸ�‘ðŸ’š<br/>
<br/>
<em>"Imoooooo....imo-nim...where are you?" Mark couldn't find Marine in the entire house.<br/>
<br/>
"Ma'am hasn't returned from the office yet, sir." The house-helper told him<br/>
<br/>
"Oh." Mark was disappointed, but the next moment mischievous glint returned to his eyes. "And Jinyoung?"<br/>
<br/>
"He is in the piano room."<br/>
<br/>
Nodding at her Mark headed towards the piano room. The door was a jar. Jinyoung was sitting with his back towards the door playing a sweet melody. He was so immersed in it, that he couldn’t sense someone tiptoeing behind him.</em></p><p>
  <em> "Haaaaoooowwww." Mark shouted in Jinyoung's ear. The poor boy jumped from his chair with a shriek. Holding his stomach, Mark was laughing so hard until he looked up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Jinyoung...are you crying?"<br/>
<br/>
Jinyoung wiped his face with his shirt cuffs quickly.<br/>
<br/>
"No. I am not. And where are your manners Tuan?" He snapped.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes you are. What happened? Are you hurt somewhere?" Mark's voice was laced with concern, completely ignoring the second half of the question.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." Jinyoung turned and sat back on the bench in front of the piano.<br/>
<br/>
"Then?" Mark also came to sit beside him. "Do you...do you miss your parents?"<br/>
<br/>
"No Mark. And for God's sake you are NOT my friend that I will tell you my personals."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh. That’s not a problem. We can be friends from now. After listening to your piano, i have changed my impression of you being boring. I don't mind befriending you now."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh really, prince Mark? How considerate of you. But I absolutely haven't changed my impression of you being a weirdo. So thank you very much." God, sass was ingrained in this boy's bones.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Woah. You are petty. But seriously, I promise I am not a bad friend. You should give me one chance." However mischievous or trouble maker he was, Mark was basically a softie at heart. Seeing Jinyoung crying had upset him. A lot. He liked the all fiery Jinyoung so much better than the miserably crying one.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Really? Why?" Jinyoung was playing idly with the keys of the piano.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh about that I can give a list, basically. So Park Jinyoung, the perks of being Mark Tuan's friend: One, I am hella cute. And I am most definitely gonna grow up to be pretty handsome. So you can always boast your handsome friend around. Second, I am a whole Wikipedia of knock-knock jokes, so that's basically 24 hours free entertainment at your service. Three, I have really cool bicycles in my collection. That makes free evening rides for you." Mark could see smile slowly forming on Jinyoung's lips, from the corner of his eyes. He knew he was going to have a cringe attack when he is going to think about this whole speech back home, but for now at least, his lameness was doing its job wonderfully. "Four, I don't let my friends sad or cry. I promise that, you know. And, finally.... what's even the use of this baseless feud, man? We are going to stay together for so long, so I guess it would be better and a whole lotta fun if we do it amicably. What say?"<br/>
Jinyoung was looking at him as if he were an alien. Don't judge him, but who expected this much maturity from Mark Tuan?<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I guess that punch has knocked some sense in you." Jinyoung teased. "Come to think of it, you are also not that weird so maybe I should give it a try. Being your friend."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mark smiled looking sideways.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm honored." He sing-songed. "Hey, as a commemoration of our newfound friendship, can you please play the song you were playing earlier. It's so good.<br/>
<br/>
That evening, on the bench in front of the piano, they both talked for hours. About school, friends, hobbie, everything. They didn't know thousand more of such evenings were to follow.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It was Jackson, like always, who had filled up the silence with his endless talks. Jinyoung was eating quietly, less listening to him and more making and breaking sentences in his mind to start the conversation that was the sole purpose of this dinner.<br/>
<br/>
"So you see, it's the straight eighth time that I'm beating BamBam in golf. Oh come to think of it, Bam was saying something about a get together with you. Gyeom and Jaebeom hyung were also asking about you. It's been a while since they last saw you. So I was thinking..."<br/>
<br/>
"Jackson..."<br/>
<br/>
Jackson looked up. Jinyoung had dropped his fork and knife and was looking at him with folded arms.<br/>
<br/>
"Hmmm???" Jackson could sense something was wrong. Suddenly he felt so scared of Jinyoung speaking that he wanted to run away. But he knew he had to go through this.<br/>
<br/>
"Let's break up." Someone took Jackson's heart and crushed it with a knife in thousand pieces. That's how it felt. He sat there stunned, absolutely lost at words.<br/>
<br/>
"W..why?" was all he could manage. He had so much questions. He wanted to ask that why after three years of relationship and six months of being engaged, suddenly he remembered to breakup. But he couldn't. He was an easy-going, happy-go-lucky man but he also had a pride to safe-guard.<br/>
<br/>
"I am going to Canada. I.. I want to go away from here for some time.... I'm upset.... depressed, in fact...I...I really don't know...I just…I want to set you free from this unwanted relationship.<br/>
<br/>
Jackson wanted to say that this "unwantedness" was one-sided. For him, this relationship was everything. But he restrained himself. Now was not the time to lament his broken heart. Now was the time to ask for his well-deserved explanations.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Okay. I have listened to the excuses. Now give me the reason. Real Reason."<br/>
<br/>
But Jinyoung didn't answer. He was intently looking down on the table. After a few minutes Jackson spoke again.<br/>
<br/>
"Will you come back?"<br/>
<br/>
"I will."<br/>
<br/>
"For me?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know."<br/>
<br/>
Jackson laughed a broken laugh. He took a few minutes to compose himself. And then took off the platinum band from the fourth finger of his left hand. He stared at the band for a few seconds before placing it in front of Jinyoung. Jinyoung did the same.<br/>
<br/>
"You have the purest heart, I have ever seen Seunah. I was so so undeserving of you. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry." Jinyoung said before getting up and leaving the table.<br/>
<br/>
Someone broke his heart. He broke someone's heart. Was this cycle ever going to end?<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>"Want to go get some ice-cream?" Mark asked Jinyoung. Both of them had just finished their yet another Harry Potter marathon. It was the most constant thing in the three years of them being friends.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course." Ice-creams were Jinyoung's weak point .Mark knew that and he spoiled him a lot with that.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After 15 minutes, both of them were sitting on their bicycles in the parking lot of the ice-cream parlor at the end of the town. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why on earth have you brought four ice-creams Mark?"<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Two for each of us."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's 32*C today, hyung. One is going to melt till I finish the other one."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then eat both of them together." Mark shrugged his shoulders and started eating both his cones taking a bite from each alternatively. Looked like Mark was quite used to this weird ass way of eating, but Jinyoung wasn't. After 10 minutes, Mark had eaten both his and was now laughing at Jinyoung whose one whole ice-cream had melted, while the other one he barely finished.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Stop laughing asshole. Look at my hand. It's become so sticky. What am I gonna do now?"<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Gosh youuu.." Mark rolled his eyes and came near Jinyoung. He grabbed Jinyoung's forearm near the elbow gently and cleaned it with the hem of his loose tee-shirt. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jinyoung looked at him incredulously, trying to free his arm. "Mark hyung, your shirt..."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But Mark’s grip was firm. "It's okay Jinyoungie. I don't mind."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His arm was still sticky at places but he could now at least ride his cycle back home. Mark’s whole shirt was ruined, Jinyoung knew he was going to get scolded for that still he was pretending to be so nonchalant. “It’s not a big deal, man. Don’t sulk, okay?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jinyoung quietly came forward and hugged Mark, circling his arms around his neck.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey,what the hell, Jinyoungie, my shirt is dirty." Mark was flustered.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's okay. I don't mind either." Jinyoung smiled sweetly before pecking Mark's cheek gently. "You are the best thing that happened to me in the 14 years of my  life hyung. Thank you so much for becoming my friend."<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mark smiled back at him. His cheeks were visibly a shade of pink. "I know."</em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It was 15 minutes before midnight when the bell rang. Jaebeom was in the bed doing his customary before-sleep-reading. He groaned. It was definitely either BamBam or Yugyeom, who must have decided to finish their weekly quota of irritating their hyung.<br/>
<br/>
But opening the front door he gasped. He had never seen Jackson like this before. His eyes were so red and swollen that anyone could tell he had been crying<em>. For hours</em>.<br/>
<br/>
"Seunah!"<br/>
<br/>
"Hyung." Jackson came forward and hugged him, sobbing bitterly in his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Jinyoung. Is he okay? Speak the fuck up, Wang."<br/>
<br/>
"He left me, hyung. He broke up with me."<br/>
<br/>
"What? how could...I mean, you guys were marrying in a few weeks, Jackson."<br/>
<br/>
"It's because of <em>him</em>. Jinyoung didn't say it but I know. After so many years, I have once again lost to Mark Tuan, hyung. But this time the hurt is so much more. The loss is so much bigger."<br/>
<br/>
It took Jaebeom a few minutes to calm him down a little. He made him drink water. And now he was lying on the couch with his head in Jaebeom's lap. Jaebeom was carding fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him.<br/>
<br/>
"Mark has ditched him, you know. He left him years ago. Three years ago when I asked him out and he accepted, I knew I was a rebound for him. But still I went on with it. I was so confident with my love. I just knew I would make him forget everything and fall for me. And see. Here I am today. All heart-broken." He sniffed. He wasn't crying anymore.<br/>
<br/>
Jaebeom did not say anything. He wanted Jackson to speak his heart out.<br/>
<br/>
"But really, hyung. Who does that? Who breaks their engagement for someone who ditched them years ago for someone else? Who even stays in love with someone who cheated on them? No one. Absolutely no one. But why does Park Jinyoung still love Mark Tuan? Why couldn't my love win him over? What kind of love is this? Is this some cheesy k-drama? Who lives and then dies for just one person in the real world? I am telling you hyung. I am telling you. This kid...This Park Jinyoung kid...he is going to die for that cheater. I can feel it."<br/>
<br/>
Jackson kept on venting for hours that night. And Jaebeom kept on listening. He knew it was going to take a lot of time, a lot of pain, but Jackson was going to survive this. He had friends like him, BamBam and Yugyeom. He was definitely going to be okay. Jaebeom was sure of that.</p><p><br/>
------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Marine had just learned from Minho that Mr. Wang called him telling him that Jackson had called of the wedding for some reason. Minho felt so embarrassed when Jackson's father kept on apologizing for his son's sudden decision. Cause he knew it was hundred and one percent his son that had instigated whatever had happened. Jackson, being the gentleman that he was, took the blame upon himself to protect Jinyoung.<br/>
<br/>
"It's okay Minho. Just let him do what he wants. He wasn't ready for it, so it's okay. He wants to go to Canada, right? Let him go. Give him space. Time. He will get over it. I'm sure. And pl..."<br/>
<br/>
Marine was cut off by the frantic knocks on the door. In came the house helper.<br/>
<br/>
"Ma'am, sir. Jinyoung sir has collapsed on the floor."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus." Marine clutched her chest.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------------------</p><p> </p><p>"His nervous system has broken down. Mr. Park, were you monitoring his medications regularly?"<br/>
<br/>
Minho hung his head in shame. Last few weeks he had been so distracted he forgot to monitor if Jinyoung was taking his antidepressants regularly or not.<br/>
<br/>
"He must have been skipping meds since long ago, if his nervous system has weakened this much. And...he is... not responding well, Mr. Park. Next few hours are really critical. There are chances that...we might lose him." The doctor, named Youngjae, was the son of Minho's close friend. So he decided to come clean in front of Minho.<br/>
<br/>
No. No. Please No. God please, save my son. He is the only thing I have in my life. Marine will die if anything happens to Jinyoung. At that moment, he wanted just one thing. Someone bring Mark in front of him. He will shoot him with his own hands. He will shoot the person that led his son to so much pain with his own hands.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>-----------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It was a scary nightmare. His whole body was trembling. Despite the air-conditioning, his shirt was wet with sweat.<br/>
<br/>
He tried to find his phone from the side table, but something else fell on the floor with a thud. His heart shuddered. He switched on the side lamp. On the floor was the keychain. <em>That keychain</em>!<br/>
<br/>
No. No. Mark shook his head in negative. Nothing has happened to <em>him</em>. Nothing can happen to <em>him</em>. What will I do if something happens to <em>him</em>? He was dialing the number on his phone with trembling hands.<br/>
<br/>
Call was picked on the first ring.<br/>
<br/>
"Hello, mummy. Is everything okay? Are you okay?" His voice was shaking.<br/>
<br/>
"Come back, Mark. He will die. Please come back."<br/>
<br/>
For a second, Mark felt his heart stop. So it was <em>him</em>. <em>Him</em> being in pain, had woken him up here, 8324km away.<br/>
<br/>
"Who? The one whose even face I don't remember?" Mark laughed. At himself. At his helplessness. At his cursed fate.<br/>
<br/>
"Then why are you suffering, if you don't remember his face? Why did you call? His nervous system has broken down. But don't worry. We will bury him when he dies, okay?" Dorine's patience had finally run out. She cut the call and burst into tears. They were supposed to be one happy family. Them, Parks, Jinyoung, Mark. Together. But the fate didn't want it. Every single one of them was suffering.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Mark laid back on the pillow numbly. <em>He</em> was dying. <em>His Jinyoung</em> was dying. And he was here lying on his bed 3000 kilometers away from him. This was the height of helplessness. This was the height of pain. He picked up the pillow from other side of the bed, and put it over his mouth. The neighbors didn't have to hear his yells.</p><p><br/>
----------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The critical 24 hours passed and fortunately Jinyoung survived. (Grace didn't forget to send the message to Sydney.) But this Jinyoung was an even battered version of the previous one. He had confined himself to his office and home. He talked so little that even Marine wouldn't hear his voice for days.</p><p> </p><p>--------------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>Mark was in the first year of high school then. (Jinyoung was still in the last year of middle school.) After his mid-terms, he called Jinyoung for a sleepover. Living next door meant they had had a million sleepovers over the year, but it was special since they hadn’t spent time with each other for two weeks now because of Mark’s exams. After playing games for hours (Jinyoung losing all of them miserably, of course), they were snuggled together in the blanket watching The Hobbit for the millionth time. Mark could see Jinyoung yawning beside him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Are you sleepy Jinyoungie?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jinyoung nodded his head with half lidded eyes. He looked so adorable doing that, that Mark’s heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t nothing new though. It had been quite a few months that he noticed that Jinyoung being near him did things to his body. Strange tingles, labored breathing, skipped heart beats. But it was the first time that his heart was beating with so much force that it felt like it would come out breaking his ribs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hyung.” Jinyoung’s whine brought him out of his daze.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hmmm? Yeah?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jinyoung plopped his head on Mark’s shoulder sleepily. “I was saying that can you please finish the movie yourself. I can’t keep my eyes open for another second, I swear.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mark swallowed thickly. “Yeah, sure.” He definitely needed time to compose himself anyway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Thanks. Goodnight hyung.” It would have been ok had that little brat ended the night with that ‘goodnight wish’. But no. He decided to end it with ‘goodnight kiss’. Mark sat there frozen with the burning right cheek. It wasn’t moments later, when he came back to his senses. Get a grip, Tuan. It’s not like it’s the first time he has kissed you goodnight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He looked sideways. Jinyoung looked so beautiful sleeping peacefully, with his lower lip jutted out a little, that Mark felt like he would melt right there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Who needed a movie when there was a better view beside him. Mark switched off the tv and settled beside Jinyoung. Their faces were mere inches apart.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A beautiful smile settled on Mark’s face. He gently moved Jinyoung’s bangs that were lying on his forehead. ”You are so breathtaking Park Jinyoung. I like you. I really, really like you. A lot. But I’m so scared to tell you. Can you like me back? Please like me back.” Slowly whispering into the night, Mark dozed off to sleep.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The sun rays hitting him in the eyes squarely, woke him up. He had woken up in the exact position in which he had fallen sleep. So near to Jinyoung. He smiled and gently kissed the younger’s forehead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Can you do that always? Waking up so close to me every morning? Let’s do that forever. For eternity. Till the end of time.” Mark whispered. </em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>---------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>Mark was scrolling through his phone idly, when Jinyoung entered the lounge. Jinyoung looked at the clock. 5:24pm. It was Mark's tennis time.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Junior Rafa. Why are you not on the practice court?" Jinyoung often teased Mark about his favorite tennis player, Rafa Nadal.<br/>
<br/>
Mark looked up. Jinyoung was shining as usual. He was looking so soft in the white sweater that Mark wanted to eat him. Mark smiled at his own thought. Park Jinyoung would drive him crazy.<br/>
<br/>
"Earth to Mark Tuan." Jinyoung snapped his fingers in front of his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm thinking something Jinyoungie. Don't distract me." Mark composed himself quickly.<br/>
<br/>
"What?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing, just... whatever."<br/>
<br/>
"Hyung." Jinyoung pouted, jutting out his lower lip.<br/>
<br/>
Now that was Mark Tuan's weakness. Yes, sulky, pouty Jinyoung was Mark Tuan's weakness. Mark gasped.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't. Don't you dare pull that face now, Park Jinyoung."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm pulling this face because I know it always works on you. So please tell me. I like it when I know everything about you. It makes me feel special." Jinyoung said earnestly.<br/>
<br/>
Mark sighed.<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p><p><em>"I didn't want to tell you because I knew you will be sad about it, Jinyoungie. Someone destroyed my Solar model."<br/>
<br/>
"What??? No..that can't...how?? oh my god hyung you had been working on it since months." Jinyoung was lost. He knew how important this project was for Mark. It was for a national competition. And all the students and teachers were quite sure, that Mark's model would be the undisputed winner.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh god.But…Do you have any idea who did it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Jackson Wang."<br/>
</em><br/>
<br/>
----------------</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This whole chapter is flashbacks. So I did not use Italic font.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"What???"<br/><br/>"Yup. When I saw my model in the lab after lunch break, it had all its wires broken down. There was no way I could re-establish the connections before evaluation, so my model got rejected, obviously, Jackson's got selected and now he is getting that two month internship. After the last class, he came to me, patted on my back and left with a <em>'shouldn't have tried to better me, loser’</em>. And….yeah.... that's pretty much it." Mark told the whole story so nonchalantly as if it was about someone else.<br/><br/>"That fucking rascal. That fucktard. Piece of shit. How dare he? Just wait till I see him, I am gonna punch the hell outta that face he is so arrogant of. What, why are you smiling and sitting here so calm like that? Don't tell me we are letting him go away with this shit."<br/><br/>"Oh definitely not, darling. He is so going to pay for this. I was smiling because...I just like it...my little Jinyoungie getting all protective for me." <br/><br/>A pink tint appeared on Jinyoung's cheeks. "Shut up, hyung. ‘15’ is not 'little', you know." Jinyoung was talking with a pout, the one that made him resemble a cute duck.<br/><br/>Mark laughed out loud. He loved this flustered Jinyoung. <em>Oh well, who was he even kidding. He loved 'every' Jinyoung.<br/></em><br/>"Oh, I forgot. Tammy noona had called me for a game of monopoly. I am gonna go find her." And he ran away.<br/><br/>Mark smiled with dreamy eyes. <em>You are gonna be the end of me Park Jinyoung</em>.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>Marine gave a final touch to her lipstick and she was ready. She looked at the clock. It was 15 minutes to 7. Today they had planned a small outing for their family. Just the three of them. Minho, Marine and Jinyoung. Minho would be here any minute. And Jinyoung still hadn't returned from Mark's home. She had tried to call a couple of times but he didn't answer. She then called the landline of Tuan house.<br/><br/>'Hello." It was their house helper on the line.<br/><br/>"Hi. Mrs. Angelo. Marine here. I was calling Jinyoungie but he isn't picking up, can you please send him home. His dad will be here any minute now. We have to go out for dinner."<br/><br/>"Ma'am, actually sirs have strictly prohibited anyone FROM disturbing them. They are busy with some project on their computers, I guess. And Jinyoung sir told me that if you called, I tell you to go without him."<br/><br/>Marine wasn't a least bit surprised, to be honest. Jinyoung had ditched plans with them numerous times to be with Mark. She chuckled lightly.<br/><br/>"Who are they even kidding? It must be some new video game of theirs that has them obsessively glued to the screens. Anyways, please make sure they don't skip their dinner."<br/><br/>"Sure, ma'am."</p><p>"Okay."<br/><br/>Oh boy, was Mrs. Park mistaken. Yes it wasn't any school project but it wasn't any video game either. It was <em>war prep</em>. Jackson Wang should have been ready for the loss of a lifetime.<br/><br/>-----------<br/><br/>It was the video of an office. A teenager had entered the room. His face wasn't visible in the video. He sat on the chair in front of the table and opened the drawer. He took out stacks and stacks of crisp currency notes and shove them into the inside pocket of his blazer. He wasn't in a hurry at all. Maybe he knew that the surveillance camera was out of order for the last two days. After nearly half emptying the drawer, he locked it again and got up. He was near the exit when his face turned a little and camera caught his face clearly for the first time. <br/><br/>It was <em>JACKSON WANG</em>... and the location was his school's examination controller's office.<br/><br/>This video started roaming around, first, in DMs and small school group chats. But soon it spread like a wild fire. From School's official website to as far as YouTube. Nobody knew where it came from. But it was the talk of the town for quite a few months. It's not every day that a top-of-his-year student gets caught stealing money.<br/><br/>There were never ending meetings between his parents and the school authorities. Numerous sledging sessions. Unending fist fights, because apparently Jackson's best friend, Im Jaebeom, couldn't bear anyone down talking his buddy. But he had unknowingly weakened his friend's case even more. Now other parents were accusing Jackson and his friends of not only being thieves but also hooligans. No matter how much he denied, nobody was ready to listen to him. To believe him. Not his classmates. Not his parents. Not the school management.<br/><br/>And this whole saga ended with Jackson being rusticated from the school.<br/><br/>If it was a revenge. It was a bad revenge.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>"I didn't know it would go that far, Jinyoungie. He shouldn't have been rusticated."<br/><br/>"Chill hyung, don't you know his father. He is one of the trustees of the school. He is going to bribe his son's way back to the school in a few days." Jinyoung was reading a book, lying with his head in Mark's lap, while Mark was scrolling through his phone idly, back resting against the headboard of the bed. "And to be honest, I don’t care, really. I wanted to do something even bad." Jinyoung clenched his teeth.<br/><br/>Mark chuckled. "You are scary when you are mad."<br/><br/>Jinyoung smiled. “I saw you putting your heart and soul into that project hyung. It was so, so unfair. I couldn't forgive that. Never."<br/><br/>Mark looked down at Jinyoung's face solemnly. "And what if he comes back for revenge?"<br/><br/>"We will combat together. Don't you know the power of MarkJin? We are unbeatable together." He said teasingly.<br/><br/>Mark laughed, tossing his phone to the bed. He loved it when Jinyoung connected their names together. "Markjin...huh... Markjin...." He started tickling on the sides of Jinyoung's abdomen.</p><p>"Mark hyung!" Jinyoung shrieked between uncontrolled giggles.</p><p>MarkJin pillow fight episode 3286532 was on the way.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>"Godddd....I miss being in the same school with you so much Jinyoungie. It's boring without you." Mark said licking his ice cream. His arm was draped around younger's shoulder. They were around the same height at that time. But Jinyoung (to Mark's annoyance) was so sure he was going to outdo his hyung in that department, at least. They were on their way to home, after their usual post-dinner ice cream party.<br/><br/>"Patience, Tuan. Patience. I am just 7 weeks away from high school." Jinyoung said, taking a bite from his chocolate cone.<br/><br/>Mark looked sideways at Jinyoung. His nose tip was red in the January night. With a fury jacket and warm scarf around his neck, he looked ethereal under the yellow glow of street lamps. Mark gulped. He didn't know what or how, but his insides told him he had to do something now. He had to at least know where the ‘other party’ stood in this tussle of hearts and emotions. So he said the first words that came to his mind. <em>And it will be bold of you if you assumed that those words weren't stupid.</em><br/><br/>"knock, knock."<br/><br/>Jinyoung rolled his eyes. After almost 5 years together with the older, he was so used to this 'knock knock' bombardment at the oddest of times (oddest ranging from being woken up at 3 in the morning to called outside in the middle of a class). Anyways he complied.<br/><br/>"Who's there?"<br/><br/>"Aldo!"<br/><br/>"Aldo who?"<br/><br/>"Aldo anything for you."<br/><br/>Jinyoung snickered, eating the last bite of his cone. "Stop flirting with me, hyung."<br/><br/>Mark took a deep breath. Now was the time. Now was the time to at least convey his side of the feelings.<br/><br/>"What if...what if I don't want to?"<br/><br/>Jinyoung stopped walking. They were standing right under a lamppost. He turned around to face Mark and looked dead into his eyes. A few seconds passed.<br/><br/>"Then don't." His voice was low.<br/><br/>"Knock, knock" Mark said, not daring to move his gaze even an inch.<br/><br/>"Who's there?"<br/><br/>"I. Love. You." Mark said each word with the utmost sincerity of his heart. There wasn't even a speck of doubt in his eyes. <br/><br/>"I love you who?" A small smile had crept on Jinyoung's lips.<br/><br/>"Don't ask who, because it's you."<br/><br/>Jinyoung giggled. "Wowwww I am being confessed to, with a fucking knock knock joke." <br/><br/>Mark smiled sheepishly, scratching his neck and scraping the road with the tip of his sneakers. Jinyoung smiled at the sight and then moved forward circling his arms around the elder’s neck and placing his head on Mark's shoulder.</p><p>Mark stood there. Frozen. Well they have hugged each other million times already of course, but this was <em>different</em>. Mark could tell this was <em>different</em>. His heart was beating loudly against his chest. It took a few seconds before he snapped back into reality and leaned into Jinyoung's touch, draping his arms around his waist.<br/><br/>"I know. I know everything, you idiot. I have always known. And I...I love you too. So much. Too much to feel real, to be honest. I am just...I am just waiting for the right time." Jinyoung was speaking quietly, his lips moving against Mark's shoulder. "We can wait just a little more, right?"<br/><br/>If Mark was ever asked what the happiest moment of his life was, he would say without a doubt that it was <em>this</em>. January 16, 8:30 on the dot, was the happiest he had ever felt in his almost 17 years of life. He hugged a little tighter. "Of course we can. We can wait as much as my Jinyoungie wants."<br/><br/>Jinyoung lifted his head up and looked into the other's eyes. He hesitated, just for a second, before he placed his lips on Mark's cheeks. It was soft. Sweet. And warm.<br/><br/>A distant car horn snapped them out of their bubble. Jinyoung broke the hug first. Now that their little moment was over, Jinyoung felt a teeny-tiny bit awkward, and a whole lot of flustered. He cleared his throat, and started walking. Mark followed just behind, smiling softly, hand stuffed into the jeans pockets. Now they weren't side by side, in fact Mark was a step behind him. He was enjoying it, putting his feet into the footsteps Jinyoung was leaving. <br/><br/>"I got another one. Will you listen?" Mark said.<br/><br/>"Go ahead." Jinyoung said meekly.<br/><br/>"Knock-knock"</p><p>"Who's there?"</p><p>"Candice"<br/><br/>"Candice who?"<br/><br/>"Candice be love I am feeling right now?"<br/><br/>Jinyoung burst into laughter. He was about to retort back when he suddenly stopped in his track.<br/><br/><br/></p><p>"Hey there, lovebirds."<br/><br/>Hearing the gruff voice, Mark groaned internally. This fucking Wang had to spoil every moment, Mark was having the time of his life in. He looked ahead. There in front of them stood Jackson Wang with three other guys. Mark's protective instincts immediately kicked as he grabbed Jinyoung from his arm and pulled him behind himself.<br/><br/>"What are you doing here Jackson?"<br/><br/>"What do you think? Avenging for the humiliation you caused me, I guess."<br/><br/>"I don't know what you are talking about?" Mark's voice was steady. It wouldn't have been an issue had he been alone, but now he was buying himself some time till his mind could come up with an idea to get, at least, Jinyoung out of here.<br/><br/>"So the loser is a coward too." Jackson said mockingly, earning snickers from the three guys behind him.<br/><br/>"Excuse me, who are you calling a loser, you fucking moron?" Jinyoung snapped angrily and would have charged at Jackson had Mark not held his arm just in time. Godd...that was what he was worried about. Jinyoung's anger often masked his rationality. There was no way they could win against an enemy with double their number.<br/><br/>"Jin, no. Just stay out of it." He whispered slowly. Then he took a few steps forward.<br/><br/>"Listen Jackson. Whatever it is, is between you and me. So let Jinyoung go first and we can deal with our shit between ourselves."<br/><br/>"Hyung, no. I'm not..."<br/><br/>"Shut up, Park Jinyoung." Mark scolded the younger, his gaze still at Jackson.<br/><br/>Jackson smirked. "Don't fool me, Tuan. As if we don't know it was this fucktard who had edited my face in that video. You are both going to pay the price." And the next thing Mark knew, the four of them had charged onto them. Mark was dealing with the three of them alone, dodging the punches and throwing his own, kind of shielding Jinyoung behind him. He wasn't that bad and the other's weren't that good so it was quite an even match of one versus three.<br/><br/>"Call dad or someone Jinyoung." Mark shouted.</p><p>It was not until he heard a cry of pain behind him that he stopped. There on the road was lying Jinyoung, with his head in his hand. Even in the small yellow light, Mark could see the liquid running down the younger's face. It was blood. Apparently the fourth guy, a tall boy, most probably the youngest among all of them, had sneaked behind Mark.</p><p>This view triggered something in Mark's head and he charged on the fourth guy with all his might, punching him in the face violently. "Not him, you fucking moron. You don't hurt him." Mark was shouting between his endless beating.<br/><br/>"Hyung...Mark hyung...no..."<br/><br/>Mark could here feeble cries from behind but he paid no attention. Not until two arms wrapped around him and pulled him back. "He will die hyung. Stop it. I have messaged dad. He will be here any second." Jinyoung said in a tired voice, head resting on Mark's back.<br/><br/>Mark took deep breaths before looking in front of him. The three of the invaders were crouched on the road around the badly beaten and bleeding guy. Those four were just 15-16 year old school kids, and no gangsters, so obviously the situation panicked them. They were probably not ready for as far as this went. "He needs medical assistance immediately Jackson. Let's get out of here. Bam help him get up." One of them, whom Mark recognized as Jaebeom, was saying. <br/><br/>"I am going to kill..." Jackson was about to charge back when Jaebeom held him again. "Don't be stupid. His parents will be here any moment. Do you wanna go to the police station or something? Just get out of here. "<br/><br/>"Yeah, just fuck off." Mark's voice was icy. "And dare lay a finger on Jinyoung again, it won't be hospital but a mortuary where you would need to take your friends."<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>It was the same place, same situation as 5 years ago, with just a few variables. One, the addition of Jackson and his parents in the audience, and second, the fact that this time Mark and Jinyoung were trying to defend each other rather than blame.<br/><br/>"No dad, it wasn't Mark hyung. He is lying. I was the one who recorded and edited the video."<br/><br/>"No, I was the one who came up with this entire idea, I was the one who bribed the security guard of the controller office to let me shoot the video, and it was in fact me who was in this video."<br/><br/>"Dad..."<br/><br/>"Shut up, both of you. I never knew you guys could go as far as this. This is just..... unbelievable. I am so embarrassed and disappointed."<br/><br/>And Tuans and Parks weren't the only one who were embarrassed in that living room. Wangs were too. After all it was their son who had started all of this.<br/><br/>After forcing their kids to apologize, grounding them for months and taking promises of not doing such stuff again, the three families hoped that this feud will be over now. Well, they were right. Jackson and his friends went on as if Mark and Jinyoung never existed and vice versa. For a few years, at least.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>Mark was standing outside Jinyoung's room for ten minutes now. His eyes were going towards his watch again and again. Still three minutes to midnight. It was going to be Jinyoung's 16th birthday in 3 minutes. And Mark, as always, wanted to be the first one to wish him.</p><p>He counted down the last ten seconds under his breath, and as soon as the clock ticked 12, he swung the handle of the door. But..... The door was bloody locked!!! Mark tried again. Jinyoung knew Mark always came at 12 every year, why would he lock it?<br/><br/>He knocked softly. It was midnight and he didn't want Mr. and Mrs. Park waking up.<br/><br/>"Who's there?" Came Jinyoung's voice teasingly from the other side. Mark chuckled. So it was planned. Well. No problem. Knock-knock jokes was one thing, Mark's brain was always ready to manufacture.<br/><br/>"Al." <br/><br/>"Al who?"<br/><br/>Mark stopped for a second. It was something big. It might turn the whole dynamic of their relationship, but the thrill seeker inside him urged him to just go on. He took a deep breath and said.<br/><br/>"Al kiss you if you open the door."<br/><br/><em>Shit. I said it</em>. Mark shut his eyes tightly. Before he knew, the door snapped open and he was pulled inside.<br/><br/>"Are you fucking mad, Tuan. What if someone hears it?" Jinyoung scowled at him, with an obvious pink tint on his cheeks.<br/><br/>Mark smiled, and took two steps forward. Jinyoung instinctively moved back until his back hit the door.<br/>"You know I am not someone who goes back on his words. Since you opened the door, let me give you what I promised." Mark took another step until there was practically no space between them at all. He looked into Jinyoung's eyes. He could see it there. The consent. The eagerness. Of what was to come. God....he looked so beautiful that Mark's breath hitched. <br/><br/>He placed a hand on Jinyoung's cheek, and the other went on his neck. Jinyoung's eyes shut down as Mark tilted his head a little and sealed younger's lips with his. He could feel jolts of electricity running down his body. It was a really slow, soft and gentle kiss. Their lips moving so in sync. Mark could feel Jinyoung's hands fisting into his shirt, one near the shoulder and other on the waist.</p><p>Jinyoung was the first to break out of it when he ran out of air. Breathing heavily both of them opened their eyes, forehead on forehead, eye lashes entangled with one another's, lips slightly touching....<br/><br/>"Happiest birthday, love. Thank you so much for being born, Jin. I love you so much. Can we stay together, for our 60th, 70th birthdays???"<br/><br/>Jinyoung nodded before going in for another kiss. It was a little more deep, a little more heated. It wasn't a lot of time till Jinyoung's mouth opened to invite his tongue which he gratefully accepted. Tasting his tongue against his own, Mark felt like he was in heaven. But was heaven even as good as this.<br/><br/>"This feels...." Jinyoung gasped. "so good."<br/><br/>Mark held Jinyoung's wrist from his shoulder and dragged Jinyoung's hand down his chest until he reached the place where his heart was hammering against his chest.<br/><br/>"You feel this? This is what you make me feel, Park Jinyoung." <br/><br/>Jinyoung smiled.<br/><br/>"I am so honored, Mark Tuan."<br/><br/>"Will you date me, Jinyoungie?"<br/><br/>Jinyoung smiled. "Ask me nicely."<br/><br/>Mark rolled his eyes. <em>Drama queen</em>. "Park Jinyoung, I love you. A lot. And I will be so honored if you accept me as your boyfriend."<br/><br/>Jinyoung beamed, stroking Mark's blonde locks. "There isn’t anything I would love more."<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/>[2 Years Later]<br/><br/>"Mom, no. I don't want to go to LA. There are so many good colleges here too." Mark and Dorine were in the middle of the same argument for the 7th time in two weeks.<br/><br/>"Mark, honey, listen. You have been admitted to one of the top colleges in the world. Of course, we are not going to force you. But we really don't want you to waste this golden opportunity. You know how much boost a degree from a good institute can give to one's career. People die for such chances, son."<br/><br/>"I know...But mom. You guys don't understand. I am not used to living without you all."<br/><br/>"God, Mark. States isn't on another planet. You will be coming over every holiday. And there is your uncle's family too. If you ever feel homesick, you can always go visit them. Aren't you close to Taehyung? He would be a good company."<br/><br/>"No, I am not close to Taehyung anymore<em>. Everyone</em> I am close to will be left here." Mark sulked like a child.<br/><br/>"The '<em>everyone</em>' you are talking about, can himself attend the college in LA next year."<br/><br/>"And what about the time in between? How am I supposed to spend 365 days without him. And, oh my god, how am I supposed to tell Jin that I'll have to leave him alone?"<br/><br/>"Jinyoung is a very sensible kid, unlike you. He will always want you to focus on your career first."<br/><br/><br/></p><p>And, of course, Mrs. Tuan wasn't wrong. At first Jinyoung did quiet down a bit, looking like a lost puppy, when he got to know about Mark's plans. But within seconds he composed himself and looked at Mark with a very serious gaze. "Of course, you should go. A year isn't that long. Just a fucking 365 days. We'll survive. And I will work my ass off to get admission in your university."</p><p>It was Jinyoung, more than anyone else, that had convinced Mark to not waste this golden chance.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>Today was the last night before Mark flew for America, and the Tuans threw this huge formal party in their garden, to see him off. Dressed in crisp black tuxedo, with hair styled back, Mark looked like a prince of some ancient dynasty. <br/><br/>He was greeting his friends and family half-heartedly, eyes fixed on the entrance, dying to see a certain raven haired boy. Jinyoung was busy with his term exams, so despite living just a door part, it had been 7 days since Mark had seen his boyfriend.<br/><br/>He had tried calling Jinyoung but the other wasn't responding. When he could endure no more he went to his mom.<br/><br/></p><p>"Mummy, have you talked to imo or Jinyoung. Why haven't they come yet?"<br/><br/>"Yeah, Marine just texted me. Jinyoung got his hand injured. She took him to the hospital. They will be a little late."<br/><br/>"What??? What happened to him? Let me go, see him." Mark was already on his way to the exit when Dorine stopped him.<br/><br/>"It's nothing serious Mark. Just a small cut with a broken glass piece."<br/><br/>"God." Mark ran a hand through his hair desperately, not giving a shit about his ruined hair style. He looked worried. It showed on his face how much he didn't want to be there anymore. "Why the heck is he so careless? And I am telling you he is just pretending to be okay but he is not. I know him, more than he knows himself. You guys need to be extra careful about him after me, okay? I know he is 18 and all, but deep inside he is still a baby. You need to..." Mark's rant was cut short as he saw Jinyoung entering the house behind Marine.<br/><br/>"Oh God. Thank Goodness you are here. Are you okay? Were you blind or something? Couldn't you see the broken glass? You are such an idiot, Park Jinyoung." Mark was speaking non-stop, examining younger's bandaged hand. Then he engulfed him in a hug. "I was so worried."<br/><br/>Jinyoung chuckled while returning the hug. "Calm down, Tuan. I'm fine. And it's your night for heaven's sake. Don't spoil it."<br/><br/>"To hell with "my night". Jinyoungie, I was thinking that let's ditch this crap party. Let's go to your place and have our MarkJin time." Mark looked at Jinyoung with eyes like a puppy pleading for affection.<br/><br/>"Tch." Jinyoung clicked his tongue and flicked Mark's forehead. "Don't be dumb hyung, you need to be here. C'mon." Jinyoung was literally dragging Mark behind him towards the lawn, who wasn't ready to budge from his place.<br/><br/>"Jin pleaseeeeeeee. I am seeing you after 7 days, man. Won't you give me <em>something </em>that will help me hang in for the next one year?"<br/><br/>Jinyoung fake glared. "Be a good boy, Mark. Attend your guests and then we can see about 'that' later."<br/><br/>Mark pouted like a child. "Jinyoungie is mean. Jinyoungie doesn't love me anymore."<br/><br/>Jinyoung sighed heavily looking at the sky. "What do I do with this hyung seriously?"<br/><br/><br/></p><p>At least that promise for 'later' did tame Mark a little. He greeted everyone politely, partook in small conversation here and there.</p><p> It was dinner time when Mark's eyes scanned the venue. His eye candy was nowhere to be seen. But he knew where he would find him. He took a plate of pasta and a drink and headed towards the pool on the back side of the house. <br/><br/>Jinyoung was sitting on the floor near the edge of the fool. His feet dipped in the water. Mark sat beside him quietly.<br/><br/></p><p>He took a bite from his plate and then looked sideways.<br/><br/>"Why are you so quiet today?" Mark asked.<br/><br/>"It's hurting." Jinyoung said meekly looking at his hand. Mark could see the gloss in his eyes. He could feel that he was trying to restrain his tears. And those tears weren't because of the physical pain. Mark knew. He placed his plate beside him and side hugged the younger. Jinyoung placed his head on Mark's chest and wrapped his arms around him. He was crying. Mark could feel the dampness of his shirt. But he didn't say anything. Just kept rubbing soothing circles on his back.<br/><br/>"I am hungry. But my hand is hurting, so I can't hold a spoon. Feed me, hyung." Jinyoung said in a teary voice.<br/><br/>Mark chuckled. "Of course. Your servant is at your mercy, sir." He wrapped pasts around the fork and turned towards Jinyoung. "Here comes the plane." Jinyoung wiped his eyes with his sleeves and opened his mouth to take the bite.<br/><br/><br/>"By the way, where is my gift?" They had eaten long ago, and now were sipping on their drinks, when Mark asked.<br/><br/>Jinyoung took out a small navy box from the inside pocket of his jacket.<br/><br/>"OMG. Jinyoungie, is this a ring? Are you going to propose me?" Mark said animatedly, obviously trying to lighten the mood.<br/><br/>Jinyoung hit him on the chest before handing him the box. Mark opened the box. There lay a silver key chain. It was one of the most beautiful things Mark had ever seen. Delicate. Intricate. And so artistic. It had two loops. On one there was an engraving:<br/><br/><strong><em>Distance means so little, when love means so much.</em></strong><br/><br/>And on the other...Mark gasped...<br/><br/></p><p>The word <strong><em>MarkJin</em></strong> was engraved in big, bold letters.<br/><br/>"Jinyoung...this..." Mark was lost at words.<br/><br/>"Don't forget me hyung. Whatever happens, don't forget me. Don't replace me. There is nothing in this world that I fear more than being forgotten by you." Jinyoung was sobbing in front of him, and Mark didn't know what to say to lessen his worries. He was always bad with words. But he was good at action. And that's what he needed to do. He held Jinyoung's hand, and stood up.<br/><br/>"C'mon let's go."<br/><br/>"Where?" Jinyoung looked at him with confused eyes.<br/><br/>"To show you that you are the most precious being in Mark Tuan's life and there is nothing Mark Tuan loves more than loving Jinyoung. I can forget myself, Jinyoungie, but I will never ever forget you. I promise. So cheer up, baby. I am taking you to the sky and showing you all the stars." Mark winked.<br/><br/>Jinyoung blushed. "But hyung, the party. You need to be here."<br/><br/>"The only place I need to be in, is my bed, with you. C'mon. We have just one night to collect memories for the whole year."<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>His entrance exam was just four months away, so he was giving his full attention to his studies. He had to work hard, if he wanted to be with Mark again. It had been 8 months since Mark had gone, but to both of them it felt like eternity. They talked to each other every single day, texted several times a day, but still there was no satiety for the longing to see each other physically.<br/><br/>It was one usual night. He had skyped Mark for an hour. Then went on to revise a few chapters before going to sleep. Just an hour or half later, his phone started ringing. He was a light sleeper so woke up at once. He didn't know why but these late night calls always scared him. They seldom brought good news. He looked at the screen. The code showed it was a call from America<em>. Mark? But I just talked to him two hours ago, why would he...<br/></em><br/>"Hello." He said cautiously.<br/><br/>"Jinyoung?" The voice wasn't Mark's.<br/><br/>"Yeah." <br/><br/>"Jinyoung, I'm Taehyung. Mark's cousin."<br/><br/>"..." Jinyoung didn't know what to say, but he could feel his heartbeat speeding up.<br/><br/>"Jinyoung?"<br/><br/>"Y..yeah?"<br/><br/>"Mark has got into an accident. He is in a really critical condition right now." Jinyoung felt like some train passed over his body, trampling his heart in the process.<br/><br/>"What?? what the fuck are you saying? Th..that can't be...i just...talked to him...just now...like two hours ago....he was fine .....he IS fine....i know it's one of those sick jokes of his, right??? He does that sometimes.....i...tell him to....tell him to stop....give him the phone, Taehyung. Huhhh??? please....tell him to stop joking...tell him my heart will stop... pleaseeeeeeee....." His sentences were incoherent. His brain was numb so he obviously had no idea what he was saying. <br/><br/>"Jinyoung! Jinyoung, listen to me." Taehyung called him. "You need to be brave. I didn't have the heart to call aunt Dorine. You need to tell them too. I and dad are here at the hospital with Mark. You need to be strong for him Jinyoung. He needs your prayers the most right now."<br/><br/>So it was not a joke, it was NOT.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>At the latest they could get only two plane tickets, so Mr. and Mrs. Tuan flew immediately.<br/><br/>It had been two days, but the doctors couldn't give any good news. It was a very severe accident. Mark's car had hit a trolley. He had under gone multiple surgeries. But wasn't regaining consciousness.</p><p>Jinyoung hadn't eaten or slept in 2 days. He hadn't even cried. He was so numb. Still... And also he couldn't break his promise. He had promised Mark he would never cry for him. When Mrs. Park could see him like that no more, she made him eat tranquilizers and sleep. It was a restless sleep, bringing in the worst nightmare of his life. He saw Mark. He was surrounded by blood. There was so much red that Jinyoung couldn't even see his face.<br/><br/>He woke up with a shriek. Marine, came running to his room.<br/>"Jinyoung, Honey."<br/><br/>"Mummy..." Jinyoung hid himself in his mother's embrace.<br/><br/>"How is he?"<br/><br/>"He is going to be okay, Jinyoung."<br/><br/>"Tell me the truth please, he has died, right? Tell me."<br/><br/>"No. No." Marine tried to calm her son. "Just pray, Jinyoung-ah. He will be ok."<br/><br/>And for the first time in two days. Jinyoung cried in his mom's arms. "I have always lost everything I loved in my life. My birth parents left me when I needed them the most. They remarried, having their own families never looking behind that I was also a part of their blood. . My friends left me because they didn't want to be close to someone from a broken family. All I have left is Mark. I don't have anyone else. I don't want anyone else. Please God please give me my Mark back. I won’t ever ask for anything else again. Please let him live. I beg you."<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>After three darkest days, their prayers were answered. In a fight between life and death, Mark had defeated death. There were serious injuries of head but fortunately no internal fracture. His leg was also fractured. But now he was out of danger.<br/><br/>After seeing and talking a little to Mark on skype, Marine left Jinyoung alone to talk to his boyfriend.<br/><br/>Jinyoung saw him and burst into fresh tears. Lying on the hospital bed, Mark looked so weak, so vulnerable. Just thinking about the pain his love had to go through killed Jinyoung from inside. When his crying session didn't end even after 10 minutes, Mark clicked his tongue.<br/><br/>"Have you called me to show this horrifying crying face of yours, Jin?"<br/><br/>"What else do I do? You fucker. How much would it have costed to drive carefully? Asshole." Jinyoung glared between his tears. "Just four months are left till I come there myself. And I am going to break that other leg myself. Idiot. Stupid stupid man."<br/><br/>Mark smiled. "There is my tiger. I missed you, Jinyoungie. And for the record, the other driver was drunk. It wasn't my fault.”<br/><br/>"Is it hurting? A lot?" Jinyoung sniffed.<br/><br/>"Not anymore." Mark looked at him lovingly.<br/><br/><br/>"Hey young man." Mark's doctor entered the room. "How are you feeling?" <br/><br/>"Better, doc." Mark said and directed his gaze back to Jinyoung.<br/><br/>"Who is it? You doctor?" Jinyoung asked. Mark nodded.<br/><br/>"Can you put him on camera for a minute please?"<br/><br/>"Why?" Mark was confused.<br/><br/>"Just do as I say, Tuan."<br/><br/>Mark rolled his eyes (god even that hurt), and looked at his doctor who was scanning through his file. <br/><br/>"Hey doc, can you please come talk to him for a sec, before he bites my head off ?"<br/><br/>When Jinyoung saw the doctor on the screen, he fixed his phone on the table, got up from the bed and bent full 90 degrees in front of the screen. "Thank you so much for saving him doctornim. You have given me something, for which I can never pay you back enough. I will be grateful to you till my last breath." He had started tearing up again.<br/><br/>Both Mark and doctor looked at each other dumbfounded. The doctor cleared his throat. "That's my duty, sir. Don't mention."<br/><br/>Mark was looking at the screen with glossy eyes. "Don't cry jinyoungie. It hurts more than this fucking broken leg.” Mark wanted to see his boyfriend laugh, even once would do. That will heal him better than all the meds, he was sure. “Listen, I thought of a joke."<br/><br/>"You fucking asshat, Your brain thinks of jokes even at the death bed. You are fucking insane, Mark Tuan."<br/><br/>"I am humbled, baby. Now, knock knock."<br/><br/>"who's there?"<br/><br/>"Aadrvark!"<br/><br/>"Aadrvark who?"<br/><br/>"Aadrvark a hundred miles for one of your smiles!"<br/><br/>A beautiful smile erupted on Jinyoung's face and Mark felt that all his pain was relieved. He just needs Jinyoung, by his side, smiling, and he can overcome anything in the world.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>It had been two months since Mark's accident. Things were getting better. Apparently. But there was something that had shifted. Jinyoung couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was but something felt wrong. He could feel Mark getting distant from him day by day. Sometimes he felt he was just being paranoid, but sometimes things got really obvious.<br/><br/>There were no more regular phone calls anymore. Jinyoung would reason that Mark had a lot to cover in his college after the accident so it wasn't a big deal. But then what could be the reason of his irritated, rude behavior over the calls? He would sometimes look at Jinyoung as if he didn't even recognize him. What was more worrisome was that, he was okay with everyone else. With his parents, sisters even with Parks. And it was driving him crazy.<br/><br/>It had been a month since Mark hadn't called him nor attended his call. He wasn't even replying to his messages. Jinyoung was angry at him, but when his heart could take no more he called him again.<br/><br/>The call was attended<em>. Finally</em>.<br/><br/>"Mark Hyung. How are you?" Jinyoung tried to immerse all the brightness in the world in his voice.<br/><br/>"If that's what you have called to ask, then I'm fine. And now don't call me again." His tone was so cold that Jinyoung couldn't believe his ears. He didn't even notice that the line was dead. What was happening? And why? Had distance created a rift in their relationship as well? But how? They were fucking MarkJin. They weren’t some random couple, that couldn’t endure even a few months of distance. <em>Don't do this to me hyung. I can't take it.<br/></em><br/>He composed himself and dialed the number again. He was going to pretend that nothing happened. He couldn't let this relationship fall like that. It was his whole damn world.<br/><br/>"Don't drop the call hyung." Jinyoung hated the pleading tone that had ingrained in his voice unknowingly, but it wasn't important, it wasn't more important than their relationship, it wasn't more important than MarkJin. "Why are you doing this hyung? You weren't like this before? Has something happened? Have I done something? Please don't do this to me, not when I don't even know what I have done wrong."<br/><br/>"Why are you so nosy, Park Jinyoung? When I have said nothing is wrong, why don't you leave me alone?"<br/><br/>It hurt. It hurt so much. But Jinyoung let it go. Just one try. Just one last try. He cleared his throat and tried again.<br/><br/>"You know it's my entrance exam in two months? Do you think I will make it to your college?" Jinyoung prayed that he would answer with the usual <em>'of course, my talented Jinyoungie is gonna rock that exam'</em> but not every time your prayers get answered.<br/><br/>"I don't fucking care. Will you please excuse me now? I have plans with my friends."<br/><br/><em>Friends. I was his only friend. Not anymore, maybe.</em><br/><br/>Jinyoung cut off the line quietly, and lay back. Tears started flowing through his eyes. His life had never been easy, but it was getting even harder with every passing second.<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/>It was on the breakfast table when he got to know that Mark was coming back for semester break. <em>Today</em>.<br/><br/><em>What???? Today????? But I called him yesterday and he was...</em>...<br/><br/>And then it struck to him....It was all a plan....it was all a freaking sick joke of Mark Tuan. He was coming back so he decided to play with Jinyoung like that and then surprise him with his arrival. All the bitterness from the night before had suddenly evaporated. <em>You are so fucking dead for torturing me like that, Mark Tuan.</em> Jinyoung smiled eating his slice with a light heart after weeks.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>He threw his backpack on the couch and stretched his body. Today was a tiring day at school. House helper brought a glass of water for him. He took it graciously, and asked her.<br/><br/>"Where is mom?"<br/><br/>"She is at the Tuan's. Mark sir came this afternoon."<br/><br/>"WHATTT?? HE CAME ALREADY?? OH MY GOD....MOM COULD HAVE CALLED ME, I WOULD HAVE DITCHED A CLASS OR TWO...." And then he ran outside and towards the middle door between the two houses. <br/><br/>He opened the lounge door with a bang and came in. There <em>he</em> was. Sitting on the couch, in all his glory, in the middle of Dorine and Grace, smiling at something his sister had said.<br/><br/>"Mark hyung." Jinyoung called him. Mark looked up and Jinyoung froze. What was that gaze? Why was Mark looking at him as if he was some stranger?  Why was there "you who?" in his gaze? This wasn't him. This wasn't his Mark.<br/><br/>"Hey. You good?" And before Jinyoung could say or do anything, he got up and with a quick "I am tired, I am gonna rest a little" went upstairs to his room.<br/><br/>Everyone in the room was frozen. What was that? And Jinyoung...He felt as if someone had turned a bucket of freezing water on his head. So it wasn't some stupid joke of Mark. All that irritation, being annoyed at him, ignoring him, was real. REAL.<br/><br/>Grace was the first one to snap out of the bubble. She got up and made Jinyoung sit. "Don't worry. He is just really tired. He will come to apologize himself. And don't you dare excuse him easily." She was trying to cheer him up with some story about how at the airport Mark just passed from right in front of her pretending as if he didn’t know her, and when she called after him, he turned back laughing at his silly jokes.<br/><br/>But Jinyoung wasn't listening. All his brain could play right now was a tape of endless broken promises Mark had made to him. He had <em>forgotten</em> Jinyoung. He had <em>replaced</em> Jinyoung.<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/>His head was hurting so much with all the crying he had done the previous night. Thank God, it was Saturday, or he would have to miss the school. He laid their on his bed, looking at the ceiling. His mother had come to call him for breakfast twice but he didn't open the door. He had lost his appetite. His phone had been ringing for the past 5 minutes but he kept ignoring it. When the caller wouldn't stop, he picked up irritated and snapped. "What?"<br/><br/>"Jinyoung!"<br/><br/>Jinyoung sat up with a bolt. "Mark."<br/><br/>"I want to talk to you. Come to the pool in 10 minutes." <br/><br/>And the line went silent.<br/><br/>What the hell was that? What was there left to say? But what if Grace was right? What if Mark actually was surprising him? He got up immediately. He had to get ready.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>Mark was sitting at the edge, feet dipping in the pool water. Jinyoung felt a sense of deja vu.<br/><br/>He sat beside Mark. Mark looked at him once and then went back to looking at the pool.<br/><br/>"How are you?" His voice was calm.<br/><br/>Jinyoung clenched his fists at the question. There was so much to answer for this question. <em>He was broken. Hurting. His heart was bleeding. Mark was doing wrong. It was too much to take for him</em>. But all that came out of his mouth was a simple "Fine."<br/><br/>"I know I have been making you suffer, Jinyoung. And that is the reason I have called you here. I want to end this agonizing pain for both of us."<br/><br/>"..." Jinyoung knew something was coming up that he wasn't ready to hear. He wanted to run away from here. But maybe it was a task too much for his will right now.<br/><br/>"I'm so sorry for being rude to you. Maybe it was my stupid defense mechanism to hide my guilt."<br/><br/>"Wh..what guilt?"<br/><br/>Mark took a deep sigh before speaking. "Guilt of...guilt of falling out of love with you. Guilt of falling in love with someone else. Guilt of cheating on you."<br/><br/>Jinyoung took a whole minute to process everything. Why did his brain had this stupid tendency of going numb at critical moments? Why wasn't it telling Jinyoung what he had to do now?<br/><br/>When Jinyoung didn't say anything, Mark spoke again, his eyes still fixed on the pool. He hadn't looked at Jinyoung after the initial greeting. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."<br/><br/>"Who is it?" Jinyoung's voice was so calm that even he himself was surprised. <br/><br/>"Taehyung."<br/><br/>Jinyoung shut his eyes. He couldn't break down here. He couldn't break down in front of this cheater.<br/><br/>"Let's... let's break up, Jinyoung. And save each other and ourselves from anymore heartbreak."<br/><br/>Jinyoung couldn't believe that he heard that and was still sitting so calm as if he had already accepted it. Maybe deep inside he had. <br/><br/>Both of them sat there in silence.<br/><br/>"I'm..."<br/><br/>"That's okay. I get it. Best of luck with this new relationship. Can you please leave now? I know it's your house and all, but I want to stay alone for some time." His voice wasn't rude. It was plain. Tired.<br/><br/>Mark nodded his head in understanding and left.<br/><br/>Jinyoung took off his shoes and shirt and dived into the cold pool water. The best thing about swimming was, nobody could see where the water ended and tears started.<br/><br/>----------</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am really sorry for all the cheesy knock knock jokes. lol. They aren't mine, though. I searched them online.</p><p>PS. Please share your opinion about the story. I would love some constructive criticism.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He locked his room and slid down on the floor against the door. He was dripping wet from head to toe. The last two hours he was at the Tuans’, it felt like he had gone numb. He couldn't feel anything, any emotion. But the moment his head hit the door and a fresh plethora of memories came running to his mind, the numbness faded away. Just like the way when anesthesia wears off slowly, leaving behind an awful, awful pain. Jinyoung felt the same. Every cell of his body was aching. <br/><br/>It was here, against this door, that Mark had kissed him the first time. It was here, he had told him that he was happy that Jinyoung was born. It was here that they had shared the promise of sticking together for at least a 70 more years.<br/><br/>He curled his legs against his chest and hid his face in his knees. Tears flowing down his eyes, he wondered how he hadn't run short of them until now. It had been 3 consecutive days since he was crying. <br/><br/><em>It’s hurting. It’s hurting so much. How do I cope with this? Will I ever be able to? It was going fine. So good</em>.</p><p>He remembered the day when Mark woke up from coma and they had facetimed for some 3 hours, before sedatives in Mark's medicines drove him to sleep. There on his hospital bed, Mark had made up hundreds of his stupid jokes to make Jinyoung laugh. But that was actually the last time Mark had looked at him with the glint in his eyes, the one he always had, just for Jinyoung.<br/><br/><em>That was just 2 months ago. How can things change this much in just 2 months? How can you fall out of an 8 years old love in just two months, Mark? I always thought our love was different. That it was real. But maybe this is the real love. Falling in and out of it, just like that. In the blink of an eye. Just a physical attraction thing. The one I was hoping for was maybe just a fictional, bookish thing.<br/></em><br/>Oh God, only had Mark known what destruction a few sentences of his had caused. He drove away a human being from the whole idea of love.<br/><br/>Jinyoung got up with a throbbing head and slid on his bed under the blanket. He hadn't changed. He was still soaked. He would most definitely get sick. But he didn't care. The only thing he wanted to do was to get a sleep. A long, long sleep. <br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>As if there was any doubt, Jinyoung woke up with terrible fever. He was so fatigued that he practically couldn't leave his bed without someone's help. When he stubbornly, rejected Mrs. Park's every request of going to the hospital with her, she called a doctor friend of hers to see him at home. <br/><br/>He had to take a whole week off school. His mom and dad tried everything to make him tell them what had happened, but he just won't speak anything. The whole week he had hardly spoken a few words. That was the time that the bright, bubbly Jinyoung with crinkly eye-smile that the world new was buried deep inside of him somewhere, and this new extremely quiet and indifferent (somewhat cold) version of his came to the surface. <br/><br/>How much ever he tried, he couldn't restrain the little tear drop that stealthily slid down his eye, when Grace told him that Mark had flown back to LA. He had been sick as hell, just across a wall from him, and Mark still didn't come to see him even for just a second. <br/><br/>He composed himself after that week. At least that’s what everyone felt. He went back to school, started his exam preparation the way he was doing before.<br/><br/>Parks' newfound peace went crumbling down in just two months, when Jinyoung announced he was not taking the LA University Entrance Exam anymore. Everyone tried their best to talk him out of this decision but to no avail.<br/><br/>"Jinyoung, honey, this has always been your dream, you have worked so heart for countless nights. How can you throw everything away like that? There is so much more to this world son. Just because a relationship doesn't work, doesn't mean one stops living. Don't do that to yourself." Jinyoung listened to every word his mother said, with a neutral face, head hung low.<br/><br/>"That place is for geniuses only, I would fail that exam anyway. I am not capable enough."<br/><br/>That was the first time Mrs. Park realized that how great a beating Jinyoung's self-confidence had taken. Her heart cried for her son but she was just at a loss, not knowing what to do.<br/><br/>It was one February afternoon when Mrs. Park, yet again, found herself persuading her son for something. His prom was near and, unsurprisingly, Jinyoung was not going. "You can try honey. You don't like it, you can always come back. You'll feel good. I'm sure so many people would be hoping up to pair up with my prince."<br/><br/>Jinyoung looked at her with cold eyes. "Are you making fun of me?"<br/><br/>Marine was shocked. "Jiny..."<br/><br/>"Calling me prince and all, when I have this ugly face. Just look at these dumb ears of mine, sticking out like a dumbo. And these dumb wrinkles under my eyes, as if I am an aged grandpa."<br/><br/>"Jinyoungie, no..."<br/><br/>"Don't... don't lie." Jinyoung was hysterical. It was the first time since the breakup, that he had broken his silence, and it was not a pretty sight. "Why do you think Mark left me? It's because I don't look good next to him. I'm an ugly loser and I know it. I am just so easy to be left behind. Easy to be abandoned. Be it my parents or Mark."<br/><br/>The loud bang of Jinyoung's door rang in Marine's ear, tears falling down her eyes. Her son needed a psychiatrist.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>He got admitted to a university in Seoul. Constant appointments with the psychiatrist did help him a little. He somewhat found his way out of self-pity. But the silence, "hate for love" and indifference remained there. It was the night before he was moving out to his new college dorm, that he received the email.<br/><br/>Hi Jinyoung,<br/><br/>Hope you are doing good. I know this will be a little unexpected receiving this letter from me, but you deserve, at least, an apology for my childish behavior years ago. Though, there can absolutely be no justification for what I did, but please understand that we were kid back then. Not able to control our petty emotions. Now that I have been in a college for a year, I have realized how life is a lot more than grade competitions and physics projects. I have mailed an apology to Mark too. I hope both of you will forgive me and my friends, and if we ever get to meet again somewhere in life, it will be all friendly and pleasant.<br/><br/>Jackson Wang<br/><br/><br/>Jinyoung left it on ‘seen’ and went back to packing. Anything that reminded him of that cheater could go fuck itself.<br/><br/>-----------<br/><br/>He didn't know if it was coincidence or what but the first people he ran into the college were Jackson and Jaebeom. True to his words Jackson was an epitome of friendliness was if he was entire different version of the past, bratty Jackson.<br/><br/>"Oh my god, Jinyoung. What a surprise? I didn't know you were joining this university."<br/><br/>Jinyoung gave them a courteous smile.<br/><br/>"So judging from the way you left my mail on seen, you don't have any intention of forgiving us, do you?" Jackson laughed good-naturedly. " At least Mark responded, even though it was a "I don't care, I won't even recognize you if I ever pass by you again", to quote the exact words."<br/><br/>Jinyoung groaned. Will this name ever leave him behind? Why won't this world just let Jinyoung forget him.<br/><br/>From that day, Jackson and Jaebeom kind of attached themselves to Jinyoung. However Jinyoung would try, they just won't leave him alone, insisting that he was now their friend. They did ask him about Mark a few times or why he would get outta-his-mind drunk and do so much random hookups and one night stands. But Jinyoung would just glare or shout at them to not interfere in his business.<br/><br/>It was Jackson's birthday, and he had with great persistence dragged Jinyoung to this little celebratory dinner that consisted of him, Jaebeom, Jinyoung, Yugyeom and BamBam. Getting drunk, as usual, Jinyoung did something that night that he would forever regret. <br/><br/>He bawled his eyes out in front of the people he barely knew. He told them everything, which to be honest he was still afraid of saying to even himself. "That bastard, that fucking cheater.....you know what he did? He left me because I don't match that American cousin of his....and look at me....have you seen a bigger loser than me....I still cry for him.... It's been fucking eight months and this stupid, stupid heart of mine still cries for him...Jackson....Jaebeom hyung...you guys tell me...how do we forget cheaters that we are so in love with....I fuck anyone I can, but nothing helps me forget him.... I want to... believe me I want to....but I just can't...what shall I do...huhhhh???" Jaebeom stood up from his seat and hugged him tightly. <br/><br/>"It's okay, Jinyoung-ah. It's gonna be okay. Don't be harsh on yourself. These things...they take time. So please give yourself some." Jaebeom kept whispering reassurances to him. <br/><br/>Jackson sat on his chair. Frozen. He felt a fresh wave of hate for Mark Tuan in his heart. Seeing Jinyoung so broken like that was killing him. He didn't even know why he was being affected this much.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>A few things changed here and there, after that night. Jinyoung started hanging out with them more willingly. His average mood was more upbeat. He would laugh more often, more feely now. The random hookups reduced from twice a week to twice a month. <br/><br/>He could see a certain glint in Jackson's eyes whenever he saw him, and he knew what it was. It was all too familiar. But he kept pretending it wasn't. Because relationships was one thing he wasn't going to do, not anytime soon. Jackson was such a nice person. Jinyoung didn't want to hurt him at all.<br/><br/>He kept that resolution, at least until Jackson, surrounded by Jaebeom, Bam and Yugyeom, asked him out on the day of his graduation. Jinyoung at that time was still a junior. <br/><br/>Deep in his heart, he knew that the past three years hadn't changed anything. He hated Mark with all his guts, but the hurt was still not gone. He wanted to reject Jackson for his own good, but he could not, for some reason. Maybe a proper, long-term, commitment would finally get him free of all the bitterness of his past. So he agreed.<br/><br/>To say Jackson was a good boyfriend would be the biggest understatement of the century. He was the best. Someone everyone would wish for. He made Jinyoung felt loved. And it would literally kill Jinyoung with guilt, that still, every morning; the first thing he thought of was Mark.<br/><br/>There would still be a couple of depression episodes and psychiatrist visits, every 6 to 8 months. And Jackson would survive those dark days with him, with a brave smile on his face.<br/><br/>After graduation, Jinyoung had moved back with his parents. Tuans still lived next door. Whenever Tammy and Grace dropped by at their parents, they did take out a few minutes to say hello to him. Though, things had changed a lot, Jinyoung could still manage a smile for them. After all, they had been his second family, all his life. <br/><br/>He had heard from somewhere about Mark moving to Australia for job and had, quite successfully, pretended that he was least affected.<br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>Parks and Wangs were big names in the world of business, and the engagement ceremony of their children was a big event, getting full media coverage.<br/><br/>Jackson and Jinyoung looked like princes, out of some fairytale, in their black tuxedos.<br/><br/>Slipping the white gold bands, on his fingers, Jackson kissed him lightly on the cheek. "This is the happiest day of my life, Jinyoung. Thank you so much." Jinyoung smiled. Thank god, no one noted there that the smile hadn't reached his eyes.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>He was about to pour the tea in the cup when his phone rang. He put the pan on the shelf and placed the earbud in.<br/><br/>"Hello, Mark."<br/><br/>"Hey Noona." Mark smiled, turning back to his tea. "It's been long."<br/><br/>“....”<br/><br/>"Noona?"<br/><br/>"Yeah...yeah...right. How are you? What are you doing?"<br/><br/>Mark could clearly sense the inattentiveness in his sister's voice. He felt like she was sad.<br/><br/>"What's wrong, noona? What is the noise behind you? Where are you?"<br/><br/>"Just at a ma..."<br/><br/>"Grace." There was a plead in his voice, as if he was begging for truth.<br/><br/>"He got engaged today."<br/><br/>Mark's hand trembled a bit and a little tea fell on his hand, burning it in the process. He hissed in pain, though he didn't know which one it was. Physical or emotional.</p><p>His heart felt like it was breaking into million pieces. He held the counter so tightly that his knuckles went white. It took a few minutes before he was able to compose himself.<br/><br/>"Really? That's... That's such a..." His voice cracked, a tear sliding down his face. "That's such a good news. I'm so happy for him." He sniffed. "There is someone on the door, noona. I'll call you later." He pulled the earbud out of his ear and threw it on the counter. Even after using all his willpower, he crumbled down on the floor breaking in tears.<br/><br/>"You deserved so much better than me Jinyoung. And I am so happy that you finally found someone. I'm so sorry for hurting you. But it wasn't in my control. Nothing was...nothing is in my control. Please stay happy...always stay happy, baby." He kept saying between his sobs.<br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>[Present]<br/><br/>It was a week after he was discharged from the hospital because of nervous breakdown. Mr. and Mrs. Park had already left for office and he was about to leave himself when he noticed a brown envelope on the coffee table. What caught his attention was the stamp of <em>Cedars-Sinai Medical Center</em> on the envelope. He looked at the address. It was of the Tuans. The postman must have made a mistake since the only difference between their and Tuans' addresses was an 'A' and 'B'. He headed out, thinking of dropping the envelope on his way, when he suddenly stopped in his track.<br/><br/>He looked at the stamp of the hospital again. Why did it feel familiar? And then he remembered....It was the hospital Mark was admitted in after his accident, six years ago.</p><p>He knew he shouldn't do this, but his heart kept telling him to look inside. <br/><br/>With a frantically beating heart he ripped open the envelope. There was a single-page letter inside, addressed to Mark Tuan, from some Dr. Michael Warner, telling him that the 'annual' checkup for his 'chronic disease, prosopagnosia' was scheduled for next month and this mail was a reminder. <br/><br/>Jinyoung kept reading those few lines again and again, not understanding a word. What was this supposed to mean? What chronic disease?<br/><br/>With trembling hands he took out his phone and searched 'prosopagnosia' on google. As his eyes kept reading paragraphs after paragraphs of heavy medical terminologies, he felt like the ground was slipping from under his feet. <br/><br/><em>Prosopagnosia, commonly called face blindness, is a cognitive disorder of face perception in which the ability to recognize familiar faces, including one's own face, is impaired. <br/></em><br/>All the puzzle pieces were suddenly connected. Mark looking at him as if he was a stranger, Grace telling him how at the airport he passed from right in front of her as if he didn't know her, his reply to Jackson that he won't recognize him. Everything made sense all of a sudden. <br/><br/>Life is like a story written by fate. And fate is a master writer. Giving twists where one can least expect. The man whom he hated (read pretended to hate) for six years, suddenly was free of all the charges in a matter of seconds.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>He was sitting on the carpet in front of Mrs. Tuan who was crying her eyes out on the sofa.<br/><br/>"How could you all do this to me, imo-nim? You all knew it. And nobody considered me worthy enough to share with me."<br/><br/>"He had taken a promise from us, Jinyoungie. It all started right on the day he woke up from coma. The part of the brain that triggers face perceptions was damaged during the accident. This condition starts just like that, out of nowhere. And ends like that too, if you are lucky. But most people have to live with it. There is no definite treatment of it. For the past six years, we have tried every possible place someone would suggest us, but to no avail. My baby, My Yien...He is suffering so much....alone...faraway from all of us."<br/><br/>"Why did you let him go? Why?" Jinyoung wanted to cry so much that every drop of tear in his eyes would end.<br/><br/>"He said living here would kill him. Not recognizing the faces of his own loved ones would kill him. And...he wanted to make things easier for you. He said it would be easier for you to move on if you didn't have to see him. He broke up with you when he didn't want it at all. He never cheated on you, Jinyoung. He loved you so much. He still loves you so much. We all...we tried to convince him to share it with you...to know what you wanted...but do you know what he said?" Mrs. Tuan smiled melancholy.<br/><br/>Jinyoung looked at her with swollen eyes and wet cheeks.<br/><br/>"He said you are stupid for your own good and you wouldn't stop loving him even if he was lying on the bed with his legs broken forever. And he didn't want that. He wanted you to move on and find someone healthy, who would be able to protect you. My kid wanted you to be happy, Jinyoungie."<br/><br/>"And do I look happy to you now? It's been six years imo-nim, and my heart is still stuck in that winter afternoon in your backdoor, when he told me he had fallen out of love with me. I still ache for him every single day. What kind of favor and 'happiness' was this?"<br/><br/>"He thought that heartbreak will hurt for some time and then it will heal. But living with him would hurt you every single day. Do you know Jinyoung? Last month...we...me and Raymond...we went to Sydney to see him. He opened the door and asked us..." Mrs. Tuan put a hand on her mouth to muffle the cry. "He asked us 'who are you?'. I never knew anything could hurt this much as I felt at that moment.”<br/><br/>That evening he and Mrs. Tuan talked for hours, crying together for a man whom they both loved more than anything in the world.<br/><br/>After tucking Mrs. Tuan to bed, he headed home but made sure that he had informed his manager to get him a ticket to LA as early as possible, and then a ticket from LA to Sydney.<br/><br/>Mark had done whatever he wanted, now it was Jinyoung's turn to make the right decisions and bring everything back to normal. <br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, LA]<br/><br/>He was sitting in front of Dr. Warner. They both did recognize each other. Jinyoung, because he hadn't lied or exaggerated when he had said he wouldn’t forget doctor’s favor till his last breath and the Dr. , because it was the one and only experience in his life, to be thanked so profusely over Facetime.<br/><br/>"I know there isn't any treatment or surgery possible. I just want you to guide me little. Like you just said, it's a very rare disease, a probability of 1:100. How do those people cope? I mean, I plan on taking Mark back with me, among his friends and family. I want him to live a little more normally, not the secluded life he is living now. What shall I do?"<br/><br/>"Most definitely. A lot of ways have been devised for prosopagnosia-tics to cope in their day to day life. Like you can always try to be the first one to engage him. He still recognizes voices just fine. Or he can be trained on focusing more on the gait and physique of people, rather than faces. It might seem difficult at first, but the passion I have seen in your eyes, I am sure you are going to succeed. Also Mr. Park, never lose hope. There might be a morning when he wakes up and he does recognize you just fine."<br/><br/>After a detailed discussion with the doctor, he got up to leave. There were still six hours till his flight to Sydney. He should probably book a hotel till then. Immersed in his thoughts, he lost his focus and bumped into someone, causing them to drop their files.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry." Jinyoung bent down to pick up the files from the floor. But when he looked at the person, his smile faltered.<br/><br/><em>Taehyung.</em><br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>They were sitting on the bench in hospital's garden. After what felt like eternity, Taehyung finally spoke up.<br/><br/>"I have seen a brightest of the guys turning into a mere shell of himself, in front of my own eyes."<br/><br/>Another long stretch of silence.<br/><br/>"His every sentence started with you and ended at you. You can't even imagine how excited he was about you coming over for college. Buying and renovating some really fancy place for both of you. Getting your favorite stuff…Mark… He has always been like a brother to me. I was the closest to him, before he shifted to Korea. I know how people would literally beg him to shut up for a second.  That same guy wouldn't speak a word for days. Coming back, after breaking up with you, he moved out of the apartment, saying that there was too much of you in there. It hurt him, knowing that it was you, but still not being able to recognize." Taehyung wiped his wet cheeks with his sleeve before taking out a page and pen from his folder and writing on it.<br/><br/>"I am writing the address and passcode of his apartment. You need to see it at least once before going."<br/><br/>Taking the paper from him with trembling hands, Jinyoung thanked him.<br/><br/>Taehyung got up from his seat. "It's okay. Do me a favor, Jinyoung. Make him like the old Mark. I don't care if he doesn't recognize me. To hell with that. Just make him happy again. That would be enough for me."<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>Standing outside the apartment’s door, Jinyoung looked at the paper to see the pass code. And his heart clenched. Yet again.<br/><br/><em>940922</em><br/><br/>Mark would always say how September 22, was his favorite day of the year. <em>Guess he never lied.</em><br/><br/>Jinyoung entered the house. It took him a minute to find the switch board and turning lights on. He was standing in the living room of that high class suite, adorned with elegant furniture, pleasant color schemes and....<br/><br/>Jinyoung gasped.<br/><br/>On the huge wall of the lounge, was a wall art portrait of him and Mark. Jinyoung remembered that picture from his 18th birthday. He was smiling at the camera, and Mark was standing behind him, his arm around Jinyoung's one shoulder and chin resting on the other.</p><p>This wasn't a regular portrait. It was actually a collage of hundreds and hundreds of photos of them, arranged in such a way that the output looked like the final big photo. From their childhood until the late teens. There were 9 years of memories in that wall art.<br/><br/>Jinyoung broke up in tears once again, touching each one of the photos, kissing Mark, telling him how much he loved him. How much he <em>still</em> loved him.<br/><br/>The whole apartment spelled J.I.N.Y.O.U.N.G in big bold letters. There were his photo frames everywhere. Dressing table was full of the perfumes he liked. Closet full of his favorite colors.<br/><br/>Standing in the middle of their 'would-have-been' bedroom, Jinyoung regretted so hard on not listening to his parents and coming to LA. He shouldn't have given up so easily. Had he come here, things might have been different. Mark wouldn't have been able to hide his disease from him. He might have saved last six years of theirs.<br/><br/>He took a few deep breaths and tried to compose himself. Whatever was done was done. There was no benefit crying over the past. It was time to work for a better future.<br/><br/>He gave a last adoring look to the place that was his most favorite in the world now, planning on coming back most definitely and headed out.<br/><br/>He was about to meet him finally. He was about to meet his Mark after six fucking years, finally.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>He was in a hurry to reach home. His head was aching like mad. Passing by the Sydney Harbor Bridge, he gave a quick glance at the Asian boy in black turtle neck and navy jeans, who was looking at the road and passing by traffic, instead of the beautiful river underneath him like everyone else.<br/><br/>He passed by him without a second gaze, when the voice coming from behind him froze him on the spot.<br/><br/>"God, aren't Australians too arrogant? Like I understand you didn't recognize me, but a handsome boy is constantly staring at you, don't you think its basic manners to at least greet him?"<br/><br/>He turned around on his heels. He didn't recognize that face, of course. But that voice...he could recognize it among million others. No voice ever did to his heart, what this particular one did.<br/><br/>"Ji... Jinyoung!" He could barely say the name without cracking his voice.<br/><br/>Jinyoung took small steps towards him and stood so close to him that Mark could feel his breath fanning his cheek. Gaze locked with one another, they didn't care that they were standing in the middle of a footpath. They didn't care that small rain drops had started falling on them. At that moment nothing mattered. <br/><br/>The smile from Jinyoung's face had now slipped off, replaced by such grave expressions that Mark had never seen before.<br/><br/>"I have never seen a person dumber than you in my entire life, Tuan. Who the hell do you think you are? Huh? A heroine of some melodrama, sacrificing your love left and right with the dumb logic of 'you are better off without me'? Huhhh???? Answer me. Why are you quiet now, answer me you fucker." Jinyoung tried his best, but couldn't stop his tears. It didn't matter anyway cause they were mixed in the rain water, that was pouring down heavily now. "What kind of sick logic was that Mark? It wasn't like you had some terminal disease or anything. And even if you had that I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO BE WITH YOU THROUGH THAT, YOU DUMBASS. How dare you snatch away my right of being with you through your dark times? What kind of happiness had you planned that both, you and me, are still bleeding after six fucking years? DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE A STATUE AND FUCKING ANSWER ME." Jinyoung held Mark by shoulders and shook him violently.<br/><br/>Mark felt like he was just woken out of a trance. Standing in the cold December rain, Jinyoung's touch was burning hot. Instinctively he took two steps backwards and shook his head.<br/>"I...I don't know what you are saying? Heck I don't...I don't even know who you are? Just...just...go away." Saying with a shaky breath, he turned around.<br/><br/>"Take one more step away from me Tuan, and I will jump off this bridge right in front of your eyes."<br/><br/>Mark gasped and turned back to Jinyoung. His looked tired. Worn out. "Jinyoung... Don't do this, please." He put his fist in front of his mouth to muffle his cry. "You have a whole life in front of you. You have a fiancé. (He didn’t know about Jinyoung breaking off the engagement yet.) Just go back to that life. Being with me will only hurt you." Mark pleaded.<br/><br/>Jinyoung moved close to him once again and very gently took hold of Mark's wrist, intertwined their fingers and placed it on his chest. "Do you hear it hyung? Your heartbeat? I still drive it crazy, dont I?" He smiled softly before shifting his gaze back to Mark's face. The view was somewhat obscured because of rain, but who cared. "Your brain doesn't recognize me anymore, but your heart still does. Don't do this to us anymore, hyung. Please. I beg you. I have tried every method in the world, but you haven't moved an inch from your place in my heart. I can never move on from you. We can cope with your condition. We will work things out. Just let us be together please. Please hyung."<br/><br/>"You will regret it Jinyoungie."<br/><br/>"Leave me the day I regret, I won't say a word."<br/><br/>Crying like kids, those lovesick fools trapped each other in a bone crushing hug. <br/><br/>Bowling his eyes out in the crook of Jinyoung's neck, Mark kept repeating: "I missed you. I missed you so much. I missed you so much Jinyoungie, I felt like dying."<br/><br/>After what felt like hours, both of them were still standing in the middle of the footpath under the rain in each other’s embrace, though the hug was a lot more gentle now. Tears had finally stopped and they were just basking in each other's presence. Suddenly a glint appeared in Mark's eyes, he bit his lips to hide his smile and tapped the knuckle of his index finger on Jinyoung’s temple who was holding on to him like a koala.<br/><br/>"knock, knock."<br/><br/>Jinyoung adjusted his head so he could look Mark in the eyes.<br/><br/>"You still do that?" Jinyoung said with a soft smile.<br/><br/>"Doing it after six years. For you."<br/><br/>"Who's there?"<br/><br/>"Ben."<br/><br/>"Ben who?"<br/><br/>"Ben over and kiss me."<br/><br/>Jinyoung cracked up with a laughter. And seeing that view, Mark felt warm in his stomach. This is how it should have been. Jinyoung should always have laughed.<br/><br/>Jinyoung cupped his face in his hands and leaned in. "Whatever you order, sir."<br/><br/>That evening on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, MarkJin kissed away all the bitterness of past six years. There were only good times ahead.<br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>[LA, 2 years later]<br/><br/>Jinyoung placed his laptop on the coffee table and headed towards the kitchen to make himself yet another cup of coffee. <br/><br/>Coming out of the kitchen, with a cup in his hand, he smiled at the large wall art. It had been more than a year since they had shifted here, and Jinyoung's heart would still skip a beat, every time he looked at it.<br/><br/>Phone ring brought him back to reality. Looking at the caller id, he groaned. It was his publisher.<br/><br/>After spending some thirty minutes on the phone, and giving his publisher every promise in the world that he would be able to complete the first transcript of his second book within the due date, he shifted his complete, 101% attention on the laptop screen.<br/><br/>It had hardly been 15 minutes, when the door of the bedroom opened, and a yawning Mark emerged out of it, in his oversized tee, hair sticking out in all the odd directions, and eyes still half closed. Giving him a fond smile, Jinyoung went back to his work. Mark was nothing but just a needy baby in the morning and Jinyoung didn't have time for even a single distraction at the moment. <em>C'mon guys, do you want Jinyoung to be killed by his publisher or what?<br/></em><br/>Mark slumped on the couch beside him, and snuggled against him, eyes still closed.<br/><br/>"All I get is a fucking Saturday and Sunday to cuddle with you in the morning till whatever time I want, and still you ruin it for me every time." Mark whined like a sulky baby.<br/><br/>Jinyoung gave a quick peck on Mark's head and turned back to the laptop. "I'm sorry hyung but the deadline is in 3 days and I haven't even started the last chapter." He replied, fingers fiercely tapping on the keyboard.<br/><br/>"At least give me a proper kiss, Jin."<br/><br/>"No."<br/><br/>"What do you mean no? It's just a kiss." Mark cried out in protest.<br/><br/>"Our kisses never remain 'just a kiss', thanks to you. And I seriously, seriously need to finish this. Fany noona is going to kill me if I don't."<br/><br/>"Whatever. You are mean, Park Jinyoung. You are a big, big meanie." Mark pouted.<br/><br/>He thurst his arms around Jinyoung's waist and went back to snuggling. They both always loved these soft, quiet moments between them.<br/><br/>"Jinyoungie?"<br/><br/>"Hmmmm?"<br/><br/>"Sometimes it feels nice. Not being able to recognize you. It gives me the chance to fall in love with you afresh, over and over again."<br/><br/>Jinyoung's finger stopped on the keyboard. He looked at Mark. Snuggled against him with bright, sincere eyes, he looked like an angel. Jinyoung felt like he could melt right then and there. Casting his laptop aside hastily, he grabbed Mark by the neck and pulled him in for a kiss.<br/><br/>Mark smiled. "See, I know how to get what I want."<br/><br/>It was a slow, hot, passionate kiss, conveying their innermost emotions to the other. Mark circled his arms around Jinyoung's neck and pulled him along with himself to lie on the couch. It wasn't long until Jinyoung noticed that Mark's hand that was, moments ago, drawing soothing circles on his back was now stealthily trying to reach the waistband of his sweats.<br/><br/>He broke the kiss and slapped Mark on the chest, with a pout on his face. "What did I tell you?"<br/><br/>Mark grinned. "What? I wasn't doing anything. I was just playing with your waistband. Goddd...you have a dirty mind, Park Jinyoung." He fluttered his eyelashes 'innocently'. <br/><br/>Jinyoung scrunched his nose. "You are sneaky hyung. The sneaky Mark-Fox-Tuan."<br/><br/>Mark burst out in laughter. He squished Jinyoung's cheek between his palms. "You are so adorable. It's not my fault if I can't control myself in front of you." He then placed a quick peck on his lips. "You are free to go back to your work baby."<br/><br/>Jinyoung sighed and placed his head tiredly on Mark's chest. "I hate it here. This world hates us. Won't let us have our MarkJin time. But it's just three more days. After that I am going to take at least a month long break before starting the next book." He kissed Mark's cheek and got up.<br/><br/>Now they were back in their initial position. Jinyoung typing on the laptop, and Mark snuggled against him, a comfortable silence engulfing them.<br/><br/>"Jinyoungie, I want to tell you something."<br/><br/>"Hmm?"<br/><br/>"Look at me, it's important." Mark sulked.<br/><br/>"Hyung, believe me I can understand all your stupid jokes without concentrating much. Go ahead."<br/><br/>"Okay. Don't complain later that I didn't warn you. So...Knock-knock."<br/><br/>"Who's there?" Jinyoung said in a busy tone, eyes fixed on the screen.<br/><br/>"Marry."<br/><br/>"Marry who?"<br/><br/>"Marry me."<br/><br/>With a shell shocked expression, Jinyoung turned towards Mark, who was looking at him expectantly.<br/><br/>"Did you just...Did you just propose me, Mark Tuan?" He stuttered.<br/><br/>Mark scratched his nape awkwardly. "Yeah, I mean… I tried. But it's okay if you need time..." He was cut off when a sobbing Jinyoung jumped at him with a bone crushing hug. <br/><br/>"Yes yes yes yes yes yes ; 100 times a yes; thousand, million times a yes." He sobbed.<br/><br/>Mark hugged him back and tried to pacify him. "Yeah, okay, baby, but why are you crying? Calm down please. I'm getting nervous."<br/><br/>"These are just happy tears stupid. I'm just so...it feels so surreal. I'm so ... I'm so loss at words."<br/><br/>"So do you think now I have earned that 'not just kiss' kind of kiss." Mark winked. <br/><br/>Jinyoung broke the hug and looked at him. Mark was confused at first. Why were Jinyoung's expressions suddenly changing from 'moved' and ‘floored’ to 'angry' and 'frustrated'? Why did it seem like he was about to attack him?<br/><br/>Oh well, he certainly was. Cause now Mark had to use all his might to run around and duck down in the room to avoid the sudden onslaught of cushions on him.<br/><br/>"Jin, babe, what the..."<br/><br/>"You fucking loser. When in the world are you going to do more than the bare minimum? You asked me out with your stupid joke." <em>Another cushion thrown</em>. "You reconciled with me with a joke." Another one. "And now you fucking propose me with a joke." <em>Another</em>. "What are you? Some lost descendant of Charlie Chaplin or what?" <em>Sigh. Yes another cushion. Poor Mark</em>. "What am I supposed to tell our kids? That their lazy ass dad proposed me with a knock-knock joke instead of a ring, and that too, when I wasn't even looking at him and writing a fucking murder scene of the villain... You just wait, I am gonna kill you today."<br/><br/><br/>Don’t worry guys. They are going to sort things out between themselves. They are MarkJin after all. Let us fast forward to their wedding day.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/></p><p>[Seoul, South Korea]</p><p><br/>“Mark Tuan, do you take Park Jinyoung as your lawfully wedded husband?”</p><p>Mark inhaled deeply as he heard the officiant say the phrase, bitter sweet memories of past decade running  through his mind. He looked in front. Park Jinyoung was standing there in all his glory, looking like some Greek god straight out of a myth. Not to be biased, but Mark swears he has never seen a better looking groom in his entire life.</p><p>He smiled softly, and says: “I do.”</p><p>The officiant’s voice boomed through the arena again. “Park Jinyoung, do you take Mark Tuan as your lawfully wedded husband?”</p><p>“I do.” Jinyoung said without a hint of doubt.</p><p>The officiant claps softly. “You may exchange your vows now.”</p><p>Mark looks at Jinyoung . “Can I go first, please? Nobody is going to give a damn about my crap if you say your ‘authored-essay’ first.” There were soft chuckles in the audience. Jinyoung smiled sheepishly and whispered a meek ‘go ahead’.</p><p>“To be honest, I had always planned a bunch of Trademark-Mark-Jokes for this situation, and had I not been scared of you running away in the middle of our wedding I would have gone ahead with them.” The crowd erupted in laughter. “I am bad with words and you know that. So…just know that Park Jinyoung, you were, you are and you will always be the light of my life. You mean the world to me. Love isn’t anything rare. Everyone out there is in love with someone. What makes you special and so dear to me is your loyalty and compassion. I can’t imagine a day of my life without you. Today, I give you the same promise that I gave you years ago that afternoon, when you were sitting by your piano, crying. I wasn’t able to keep it then. But I swear, I will give my utmost to fulfill it in the second chance I have been granted by fate. I will never let you cry. I will always keep you dear. I vow that I will choose you every day, a million times over, not because I have to, but because I want to. I love you, Jinyoung Tuan.”</p><p>A drop of tear fell down Jinyoung’s eyes which Mark brushed away with his pores, squeezing his hand. Jinyoung inhaled and tried to compose himself. It was his turn now.</p><p>He looked at Mark with all the fondness in the world. "I want so badly to be able to explain all the love I have for you. Not the love of butterflies and stomach knots—but more the blurring of self and the entanglement with another soul. Love is a word that is much too soft and used far too often to ever describe the fierce, infinite and blazing passion that I have in my heart for you. You are a million dreams and a million prayers of mine come true. You are kind. You are silly. You are intelligent. Your laugh is contagious. You acknowledge my strengths and accept my faults. You make me want to be a better person every day. I take you as you are now, tomorrow and for eternity to come, to be my husband. Even when the day comes that we're old and gray, I promise to always see you with the same eyes and the same heart that I see you with at this exact moment. So today, I vow to honor you and respect you, support you and encourage you. I promise to dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever life brings. I vow to laugh with you and comfort you during times of joy and times of sorrow. I promise to always pursue you, to fight for you, and love you unconditionally and wholeheartedly for the rest of my life. You are my best friend and I'm the luckiest person on Earth to call you mine."</p><p>The audience erupted in applause, and Mark wiped his tears away. “As expected, my writer baby. Thank you so much.” Mark whispered.</p><p>After they had said their vows and put fingers on each other’s hands, the officiant announced: “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you two married. You may kiss now.”</p><p>Amidst the loud cheers and hoots of their friends and families, they came closer, leaning in for the kiss. For their first post-wedding kiss. It felt like always. Sweet. Warm. But yet it was so different. A lot more secure, a lot more possessive. Suddenly, Jinyoung felt Mark’s lips stopping. Confused he opened his eyes, to find a wide-eyed, frozen Mark looking at him.</p><p>“Mark, what’s…”</p><p>“Jin.” Mark was looking at him with an ocean of emotions in his eyes. “Jin, I…I think, I…”</p><p>And then it dawned on Jinyoung what Mark was referring to. His grip tightened on Mark’s hands. “Mark, you…”</p><p>Mark nodded, tears flowing down his eyes, as he tiredly put his head on Mark’s shoulder. “I recognize you. You have…you have aged so well. You look like Apollo.”</p><p>Jinyoung tightened the hug, not knowing what else to do. This was so unexpected. God what k-drama was he a part of? “Oh my God, Mark…I feel like I’m going to combust. This is unreal.”</p><p>Mark broke the hug first, and looked at the audience over Jinyoung’s shoulder.</p><p>“Mom, Dad. Tammy. Grace. Imo. Uncle Minho…” He was whispering under his breath. “Uncle Kim. Taehyung…And that’s… what the heck, is that Jackson Wang in the last row? Jinyoungie, what is your ex doing at my wedding? There’s Im too. Beside him. And who are those skinny and long kids behind them?” Mark was speaking in full speed, when Jinyoung interrupted him with a kiss.</p><p>Mark had recovered. His Mark had actually recovered. Though he hadn’t done anything with the intention of payback, but it felt like a lovely payback gift from the universe, for his undying love, resolve and loyalty.</p><p>Undoubtedly, MarkJin were unbeatable together.</p><p>---------------</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh my god...that ending sucked....I know...but i'm so sorry I couldn't come up with anything else. lol.</p><p>Anyways, I have finally finished my first ever fanfic. Yayyyyyy. Please give me lots of feedback about what you think about this story and what I can do to better myself for my upcoming works. See you, later. Annyeong.</p>
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